Exodus 4

1 And Moses answered and said, If they believe me not, and do not listen to my voice (for they will say, God has not appeared to you), what shall I say to them?

Moses answered, “But what if they do not believe me or listen to me but say instead, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you'?”

2 And the Lord said to him, What is this thing that is in your hand? and he said, A rod.

Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses said, “A staff.”

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 it.

Yahweh said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran back from it.

4 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth your hand, and take hold of its tail: so he stretched forth his hand and took hold of the tail,

Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out and take it by the tail.” So he reached out and took hold of the snake. It became a staff in his hand again.

5 and it became a rod in his hand, —that they may believe you, that the God of your fathers has appeared to you, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.

“This is so they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 And the Lord said again to him, Put your hand into your bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom, and brought his hand out of his bosom, and his hand became as snow.

Yahweh also said to him, “Now put your hand inside your robe.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe. When he brought it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7 And he said again, Put your hand into your bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom, and brought his hand out of his bosom, and it was again restored to the complexion of his [other] flesh.

Yahweh said, “Put your hand inside your robe again.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe, and when he brought it out, he saw that it was made healthy again, like the rest of his flesh.

8 And if they will not believe you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe you [because] of the voice of the second sign.

Yahweh said, “If they do not believe you—if they do not pay attention to the first sign of my power or believe in it, then they will believe the second sign.

9 And it shall come to pass if they will not believe you for these two signs, and will not listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land, and the water which you shall take from the river shall be blood upon the dry land.

If they do not believe even these two signs of my power, or listen to you, then take some water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take will become blood on the dry land.”

10 And Moses said to the Lord, I pray, Lord, I have not been sufficient in former times, neither from the time that you have begun to speak to your servant: I am weak in speech, and slow-tongued.

Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you spoke to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

11 And the Lord said to Moses, Who has given a mouth to man, and who has made the very hard of hearing, and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? have not I, God?

Yahweh said to him, “Who is it who made man's mouth? Who makes a man mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?

12 And now go and I will open your mouth, and will instruct you in what you shall say.

So now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”

13 And Moses said, I pray you, Lord, appoint another able [person] whom you shall send.

But Moses said, “Lord, please send anyone else, anyone whom you wish to send.”

14 And the Lord was greatly angered against Moses, and said, Behold! is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he will surely speak to you; and, behold, he will come forth to meet you, and beholding you he will rejoice within himself.

Then Yahweh became angry with Moses. He said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

15 And you shall speak to him; and you shall put my words into his mouth, and I will open your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you shall do.

You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will show you both what to do.

16 And he shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be for him in things pertaining to God.

He will speak to the people for you. He will be your mouth, and you will be to him like me, God.

17 And this rod that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand, wherewith you shall work miracles.

You will take in your hand this staff. With it you will do the signs.”

18 And Moses went and returned to Jothor his father-in-law, and says, I will go and return to my brethren in Egypt, and will see if they are yet living. And Jothor said to Moses, Go in health. And in those days after some time, the king of Egypt died.

So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go so I may return to my relatives who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

19 And the Lord said to Moses in Madiam, Go, depart into Egypt, for all that sought your life are dead.

Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were trying to take your life are dead.”

20 And Moses took his wife and his children, and mounted them on the beasts, and returned to Egypt; and Moses took the rod [which he had] from God in his hand.

Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey. He returned to the land of Egypt, and he took the staff of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, When you go and return to Egypt, see—all the miracles I have charged you with, you shall work before Pharao: and I will harden his heart, and he shall certainly not send away the people.

Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

22 And you shall say to Pharao, These things says the Lord, Israel [is] my firstborn.

You must say to Pharaoh, 'This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn,

23 And I said to you, Send away my people, that they may serve me: now if you will not send them away, see, I will kill your firstborn son.

and I say to you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But since you have refused to let him go, I will certainly kill your son, your firstborn.'”

24 And it came to pass [that] the angel of the Lord met him by the way in the inn, and sought to kill him.

Now on the way, when they stopped for the night, Yahweh met Moses and tried to kill him.

25 and Sepphora having taken a stone cut off the foreskin of her son, and fell at his feet and said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched:

Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched it to his feet. Then she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom to me by blood.”

26 and he departed from him, because she said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched.

So Yahweh let him alone. She said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses; and he went and met him in the mount of God, and they kissed each other.

Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” Aaron went, met him at the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses reported to Aaron all the words of the Lord, which he sent, and all the things which he charged him.

Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh that he had sent him to say and about all the signs of Yahweh's power that he had commanded him to do.

29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered the elders of the children of Israel.

Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites.

30 And Aaron spoke all these words, which God spoke to Moses, and wrought the miracles before the people.

Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He also displayed the signs of Yahweh's power in the sight of the people.

31 and the people believed and rejoiced, because God visited the children of Israel, and because he saw their affliction: and the people bowed and worshipped.

The people believed. When they heard that Yahweh had observed the Israelites and that he had seen their oppression, then they bowed their heads and worshiped him.