Exodus 4
Moses Given Powers
1Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or alisten ▼▼ Lit to my voice
to what I say? For they may say, ‘ cThe Lord has not appeared to you.’” 2The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, d“A staff.” 3Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and eit became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”— so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his ▼▼ Lit palm
hand— 5“that gthey may believe that hthe Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was ileprous like snow. 7Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, jit was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8“If they will not believe you or ▼▼ Lit listen to
heed the ▼▼ Lit voice
witness of the first sign, they may believe the ▼▼ Lit voice
witness of the last sign. 9“But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile nwill become blood on the dry ground.” 10Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, oI have never been ▼▼ Lit a man of words
eloquent, neither ▼▼ Lit yesterday
recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am ▼▼ Lit heavy
slow of speech and ▼▼ Lit heavy
slow of tongue.” 11The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or twho makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12“Now then go, and uI, even I, will be with your mouth, and vteach you what you are to say.” 13But he said, “Please, Lord, now ▼▼ Lit send by the hand which You send
send the message by whomever You will.” Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece
14Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that ▼▼ Lit speaking he speaks
he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, yhe is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15“You are to speak to him and zput the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. 16“Moreover, aahe shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17“You shall take in your hand abthis staff, acwith which you shall perform the signs.” 18Then Moses departed and returned to ▼▼ Heb Jether
Jethro aehis father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go ▼▼ Lit return
back to Egypt, for agall the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his ahsons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the aistaff of God in his hand. 21The Lord said to Moses, “When you go ▼▼ Lit to return
back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all akthe wonders which I have put in your ▼▼ Lit hand
power; but amI will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, an“Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23“So I said to you, ‘ aoLet My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, apI will kill your son, your firstborn.”’” 24Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and aqsought to put him to death. 25Then Zipporah took ara flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and ▼▼ Lit made it touch at his feet
threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”— ▼▼ Lit with reference to
because of the circumcision. 27 auNow the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the avmountain of God and kissed him. 28 awMoses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and axall the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron went and ayassembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30and azAaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the basigns in the sight of the people. 31So bbthe people believed; and when they heard that the Lord ▼▼ Lit had visited
,
bdwas concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then bethey bowed low and worshiped.
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