Exodus 4

1 Moses answered, "But, look, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'God has not appeared to you.'"

“But what if they don't believe me or listen to what I say?” Moses asked. “They could say, ‘The Lord didn't appear to you.’”

2 YHWH said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."

The Lord asked him, “What are you holding in your hand?” “A walking stick,” Moses replied.

3 He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses ran away from it.

“Throw it on the ground,” he told Moses. So Moses did. It turned into a snake and Moses ran away from it.

4 YHWH said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand.

“Reach out and grab hold of it by its tail,” the Lord told Moses. Moses did so and it turned back into a walking stick in his hand.

5 "That they may believe that YHWH, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

“You are to do this so that they will believe that I the Lord did appear to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

6 YHWH said furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak." He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, look, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

Then the Lord told him, “Put your hand inside your clothes close to your chest.” So Moses did as he was told. When he took his hand out, it was white like snow with a skin disease.

7 He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again." He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, look, it had turned again as his other flesh.

“Now put your hand back inside your clothes,” the Lord said. Moses did so. When he took it out again, his hand had returned to normal.

8 "It will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

“If they don't believe you and they're not convinced by the first sign, they'll believe because of the second sign,” the Lord explained.

9 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land."

“But if they still don't believe you or listen to you because of these two signs, then you are to take some water from the Nile and pout it out on the ground. The Nile water will turn into blood on the ground.”

10 Moses said to YHWH, "Please, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Pleased excuse me, but I'm not someone who is good with words—not in the past, and not from the time you have been speaking with me, your servant. My speech is slow and I don't say things well.”

11 YHWH said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, God?

“Who gave people mouths?” the Lord asked him. “Who makes people deaf or dumb, able to see or blind? It's I, the Lord, who does that.

12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."

Now go, and I myself will be your mouth, and I will tell you what you are to say.”

13 He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

“Please, Lord, send someone else!” Moses responded.

14 The anger of YHWH was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, look, he comes forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

The Lord got angry with Moses, and told him, “There's your brother Aaron, the Levite. I know he speaks well. He's on his way to meet you, and he'll be very happy to see you.

15 You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.

Speak to him and tell him what to say. I will be your mouth and his mouth, and I will tell you what you are to do.

16 He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.

Aaron will speak on your behalf to the people, as if he was your mouth, and you will be in the place of God to him.

17 You shall take this staff in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

Make sure to take your walking stick with you so you can use it to do the signs.”

18 Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

Then Moses returned to Jethro his father-in-law and told him, “Please allow me to go back to my own people in Egypt so I can see if any of them are still alive.” “Go with my blessing,” Jethro replied.

19 YHWH said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

While Moses was in Midian, the Lord told him, “Go back to Egypt because all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God's staff in his hand.

Moses put his wife and sons on a donkey and went back to Egypt, carrying the walking stick that God had used to perform miracles.

21 YHWH said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

The Lord told Moses, “When you get back to Egypt, make sure to go to Pharaoh and carry out the miracles I've given you to do. I will make him stubborn and he will not let the people go.

22 You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says YHWH, Israel is my son, my firstborn,

This is what you are to tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says. Israel is my firstborn son.

23 and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Look, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

I ordered you to let my son go so he can worship me. But you refused to release him, so I will now kill your firstborn son.”

24 It happened on the way at a lodging place, that YHWH met him and wanted to kill him.

But while they were on their way the Lord came to the place where they were staying, wanting to kill Moses.

25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me."

However, Zipporah used a flint knife to cut off her son's foreskin. She touched his feet with it, and said to him, “You are a blood-husband to me.”

26 So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.

(Calling him a blood-husband referred to circumcision.) After this the Lord left Moses alone.

27 YHWH said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." He went, and met him on God's mountain, and kissed him.

The Lord had told Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the desert.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God and greeted him with a kiss.

28 Moses told Aaron all the words of YHWH with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him.

Then Moses explained to Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say and all the miracles he had ordered him to do.

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

Moses and Aaron traveled to Egypt. There they had all the Israelite elders gather together.

30 Aaron spoke all the words which God had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

Aaron shared with them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses carried out the miracles so they could see them.

31 The people believed, and when they heard that God had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

The Israelites were convinced. When they heard that the Lord had come to them, and that he had been touched by their suffering, they bowed their heads and worshiped.