‏ Exodus 4

Moses Given Signs

1 Then 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, “ dA staff.” 3Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and eit turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail”--so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his
Lit palm
hand--
5“so 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.”

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand inside the fold of your robe.” So he put his hand inside the fold, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was ileprous like snow. 7Then He said, “Put your hand inside the fold of your robe again.” So he put his hand into the fold again, and when he took it out of the fold, behold, jit was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8“So if they will not believe you nor
Lit listen to
pay attention to the
Lit voice
evidence of the first
I.e., confirming miracle
sign, they may believe the
Lit voice
evidence of the last
I.e., confirming miracle
sign.
9But if they will not believe even these two
I.e., confirming miracles
signs nor pay attention to 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 qwill turn into blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, rI 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.”
11But the Lord said to him, “Who has made the human mouth? Or wwho makes anyone unable to speak or deaf, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12Now then go, and xI Myself will be with your mouth, and yinstruct you in what you are to say.” 13But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by
Lit the hand You send
whomever You will.”

Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece

14 Then 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, abhe is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be
Lit joyful in his heart
overjoyed.
15So you are to speak to him and adput the words in his mouth; and I Myself will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do. 16 aeHe shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17And you shall take in your hand afthis staff, agwith which you shall perform the signs.”

18 Then Moses departed and returned to ahhis father-in-law
Heb Jether
Jethro, and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers 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 akall the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
20So Moses took his wife and his alsons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the amstaff of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go
Lit to return
back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all aothe wonders which I have put in your
Lit hand
power; but aqI will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ arIsrael is My son, My firstborn. 23So I said to you, ‘ asLet My son go so that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, atI am going to kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

24 But it came about at the overnight encampment on the way, that the Lord met
Lit him
Moses, and avsought to put him to death.
25So Zipporah took awa 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 groom of blood to me!”
26So He left him alone. At that time she said, “You are a groom of blood”--
Lit with reference to
because of the circumcision.

27 azNow the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the bamountain of God and kissed him. 28 bbMoses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and bcall the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron went and bdassembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30and beAaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the bfsigns in the sight of the people. 31So bgthe people believed; and when they heard that the Lord
Lit had visited
biwas concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, bjthey bowed low and worshiped.
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