Exodus 4
1 And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to thee.
梅瑟回答說：「他們必然不肯相信我，也不肯聽我的話，而對我說：上主沒有顯示給你。」
2 And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A staff.
上主問他說：「你手裏拿的是什麼﹖」他回答說：「一根棍杖。」
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
上主說：「將棍杖扔在地上! 」他便將棍杖扔在地上，棍杖即刻變成了一條蛇；梅瑟一見，就逃避了。
4 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand and take it by the tail — and he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand —
上主向梅瑟說：「伸手捉著蛇的尾巴! ─他便伸手捉住，那條蛇在他手裏又變成一根棍杖。─
5 that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
好叫他們相信上主，他們主先的天主，亞巴郎的天主，依撒格的天主和雅各伯的天主曾顯示給你。」
6 And Jehovah said moreover to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.
上主又對他說：「將你的手插在懷裏! 」他就將手插在懷裏；及至抽出手來，見手上患了癩瘡，向雪那樣白。
7 And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his flesh.
天主又說：「將你的手再插進懷裏! ─他就把手再插進懷裏；及至從懷裏抽出時，見手已經恢復原狀，像別的肌肉一樣。─
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the other sign.
如果他們不肯信你，也不信服第一個奇蹟，必定信服第二個奇蹟。
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also those two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] on the dry [land]; and the water that thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land].
如果連這兩個奇蹟也不信，也不聽你的話，你就從尼羅河裏取些水，倒在旱地上；你從河裏取的水必在旱地上變成血。」
10 And Moses said to Jehovah, Ah Lord! I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.
梅瑟對上主說：「吾主，請原諒! 我不是個有口才的人，以前不是，你向你的僕人說話以後，也不是；我原是笨口結舌的人。」
11 And Jehovah said to him, Who gave man a mouth? or who maketh dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? [have] not I, Jehovah?
上主回答他說：「是誰給人一個嘴﹖是誰給人口啞耳聾，眼明眼瞎呢﹖不是我上主嗎﹖
12 And now go, and I will be with thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say.
現在你去，我要幫助你說話，指教你該說什麼。」
13 And he said, Ah Lord! send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.
梅瑟回答說：「吾主，請原諒! 你要打發誰，就打發誰去吧! 」
14 Then the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he goeth out to meet thee; and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart.
上主向梅瑟發怒說：「不是有你的哥哥肋末人亞郎嗎﹖我知道他是有口才的，他現在正前來迎接你；他見了你，心中必要快樂。
15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
你可向他說話，將你應該說的話放在他口中。我要幫助你，也幫助他說話，指教你們應做什麼。
16 And he shall speak for thee unto the people; and it shall come to pass that he shall be to thee for a mouth, and thou shalt be to him for God.
他要代替你向百姓說話，作你的口舌；你對他是代替天主。
17 And thou shalt take this staff in thy hand, with which thou shalt do the signs.
你手中要拿著這根棍杖，用來行奇蹟。」梅瑟回埃及
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, that I may see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
於是梅瑟起來回到他岳父耶特洛那裏，對他說：「請讓我回到埃及我兄弟那裏，看看他們還健在嗎﹖」耶特洛對梅瑟說：「你平安去罷! 」
19 And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life.
上主在米德揚對梅瑟說：「起身回埃及去! 因為那些想殺害你的人都死了。」
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them riding upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
梅瑟遂帶著妻子孩子，叫他們騎在驢上，起身回埃及國去了；梅瑟手中拿著天主的棍杖。
21 And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou goest to return to Egypt, see that thou do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in thy hand. And I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
上主對梅瑟說：「你回到埃及，要將我交於你行的一切奇蹟，行於法朗面前；但我要使他心硬，不肯放百姓走。
22 And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah: Israel is my son, my firstborn.
你要對法朗說：上主這樣說：以色列是我的長子。
23 And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.
我命你，讓我的兒子去崇拜我。你若拒絕放他們走，我必要殺你的長子。」
24 And it came to pass on the way, in the inn, that Jehovah came upon him, and sought to slay him.
梅瑟在路上住宿的時候，上主遇著他，要想殺他。
25 Then Zipporah took a stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, A bloody husband indeed art thou to me!
漆頗辣急忙拿了一塊石刀，將他兒子的包皮割下，拿包皮接觸他的腳說：「你真是我的血郎。」
26 And he let him go. Then she said, A bloody husband — because of the circumcision.
這樣上主就放了他。當時漆頗辣說：「血郎。」是因了割損的原故。
27 And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
其時上主向亞郎說：「你往曠野去迎接梅瑟! 」他就去了。在天主的山旁預見了梅瑟，口親了他。
28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah who had sent him, and all the signs that he had commanded him.
梅瑟把上主打發他所說的一切話和命他行的奇蹟，都告訴了亞郎。
29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel;
梅瑟和亞郎遂去召集了以色列子民所有的長老
30 and Aaron spoke all the words that Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.
亞郎講述了上主向梅瑟所說的一切話，也當著百姓行了那些奇蹟；
31 And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
百姓就都信了，也都高興，因為上主眷顧了以色列子民，也垂念了他們的痛苦。他們遂都俯伏叩拜。
