Exodus 4
1 Respondens Moyses, ait: Non credent mihi, neque audient vocem meam, sed dicent: Non apparuit tibi Dominus.
“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 Dixit ergo ad eum: Quid est quod tenes in manu tua? Respondit: Virga.
The Lord asked him, “What are you holding in your hand?” “A walking stick,” Moses replied.
3 Dixitque Dominus: Proiice eam in terram. Proiecit, et versa est in colubrum, ita ut fugeret Moyses.
“Throw it on the ground,” he told Moses. So Moses did. It turned into a snake and Moses ran away from it.
4 Dixitque Dominus: Extende manum tuam, et apprehende caudam eius. Extendit, et tenuit, versaque est in virgam.
“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 Ut credant, inquit, quod apparuerit tibi Dominus Deus patrum suorum, Deus Abraham, Deus Isaac, et Deus Iacob.
“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 Dixitque Dominus rursum: Mitte manum tuam in sinum tuum. Quam cum misisset in sinum, protulit leprosam instar nivis.
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 Retrahe, ait, manum tuam in sinum tuum. Retraxit, et protulit iterum, et erat similis carni reliquæ.
“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 Si non crediderint, inquit, tibi, neque audierint sermonem signi prioris, credent verbo signi sequentis.
“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 Quod si nec duobus quidem his signis crediderint, neque audierint vocem tuam: sume aquam fluminis, et effunde eam super aridam, et quidquid hauseris de fluvio, vertetur in sanguinem.
“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 Ait Moyses: Obsecro Domine, non sum eloquens ab heri, et nudiustertius: et ex quo locutus es ad servum tuum, impeditioris et tardioris linguæ sum.
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 Dixit Dominus ad eum: Quis fecit os hominis? aut quis fabricatus est mutum et surdum, videntem et cæcum? nonne ego?
“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 Perge igitur, et ego ero in ore tuo: doceboque te quid loquaris.
Now go, and I myself will be your mouth, and I will tell you what you are to say.”
13 At ille: Obsecro, inquit, Domine, mitte quem missurus es.
“Please, Lord, send someone else!” Moses responded.
14 Iratus Dominus in Moysen, ait: Aaron frater tuus levites, scio quod eloquens sit: ecce ipse egreditur in occursum tuum, vidensque te lætabitur corde.
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 Loquere ad eum, et pone verba mea in ore eius: et ego ero in ore tuo, et in ore illius, et ostendam vobis quid agere debeatis.
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 Ipse loquetur pro te ad populum, et erit os tuum: tu autem eris ei in his quæ ad Deum pertinent.
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 Virgam quoque hanc sume in manu tua, in qua facturus es signa.
Make sure to take your walking stick with you so you can use it to do the signs.”
18 Abiit Moyses, et reversus est ad Iethro socerum suum, dixitque ei: Vadam et revertar ad fratres meos in Ægyptum, ut videam si adhuc vivant. Cui ait Iethro: Vade in pace.
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 Dixit ergo Dominus ad Moysen in Madian: Vade, et revertere in Ægyptum: mortui sunt enim omnes qui quærebant animam tuam.
While Moses was in Midian, the Lord told him, “Go back to Egypt because all those who wanted to kill you have died.”
20 Tulit ergo Moyses uxorem suam, et filios suos, et imposuit eos super asinum, reversusque est in Ægyptum, portans virgam Dei in manu sua.
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 Dixitque ei Dominus revertenti in Ægyptum: Vide ut omnia ostenta quæ posui in manu tua, facias coram Pharaone: ego indurabo cor eius, et non dimittet populum.
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 Dicesque ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Filius meus primogenitus Israel.
This is what you are to tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says. Israel is my firstborn son.
23 Dixi tibi: Dimitte filium meum ut serviat mihi; et noluisti dimittere eum: ecce ego interficiam filium tuum primogenitum.
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 Cumque esset in itinere, in diversorio occurrit ei Dominus, et volebat occidere eum.
But while they were on their way the Lord came to the place where they were staying, wanting to kill Moses.
25 Tulit idcirco Sephora acutissimam petram, et circumcidit præputium filii sui, tetigitque pedes eius, et ait: Sponsus sanguinum tu mihi es.
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 Et dimisit eum postquam dixerat: Sponsus sanguinum ob circumcisionem.
(Calling him a blood-husband referred to circumcision.) After this the Lord left Moses alone.
27 Dixit autem Dominus ad Aaron: Vade in occursum Moysi in desertum. Qui perrexit obviam ei in Montem Dei, et osculatus est eum.
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 Narravitque Moyses Aaron omnia verba Domini quibus miserat eum, et signa quæ mandaverat.
Then Moses explained to Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say and all the miracles he had ordered him to do.
29 Veneruntque simul, et congregaverunt cunctos seniores filiorum Israel.
Moses and Aaron traveled to Egypt. There they had all the Israelite elders gather together.
30 Locutusque est Aaron omnia verba quæ dixerat Dominus ad Moysen: et fecit signa coram populo,
Aaron shared with them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses carried out the miracles so they could see them.
31 et credidit populus. Audieruntque quod visitasset Dominus filios Israel, et respexisset afflictionem illorum: et proni adoraverunt.
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.
