4
1 Moses
answered, “But,
behold, they will
not believe me,
nor listen to
my voice; for
they will say, ‘The
LORD has not
appeared to you.’ ”
2 The
LORD said to him,
“What is that
in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 He said, “Throw
it on the
ground.”
He threw it
on the ground,
and it became
a snake; and
Moses ran away
from it.
4 The
LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your
hand, and take
it by the
tail.”
He stretched out
his hand, and
took hold of
it, and it
became a rod
in his hand.
5 “This
is so that
they may believe
that the 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 said
furthermore to him,
“Now put your
hand inside
your cloak.”
He put his
hand inside
his cloak, and
when he took
it out, behold,
his hand was
leprous, as white
as snow.
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,
behold, it had
turned again as
his other flesh.
8 “It
will happen, if
they will
not believe you or
listen to the
voice of the
first sign, that
they will believe
the voice of
the latter sign.
9 It
will happen, if
they will
not believe even
these two signs or
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.”
10 Moses
said to the
LORD, “O 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.”
11 The
LORD said to
him, “Who made
man’s mouth? Or
who makes one mute,
or deaf, or
seeing, or blind?
Isn’t it I, the
LORD?
12 Now
therefore go, and
I will be
with your mouth,
and teach you
what you shall
speak.”
13 Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone
else.”
14 The
LORD’s anger burned
against Moses, and
he said, “What
about Aaron, your brother,
the Levite? I
know that he
can speak well.
Also, behold, he
is coming out
to meet you.
When he sees
you, he will
be glad in
his heart.
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.
16 He
will be your
spokesman to the
people. It will
happen that he
will be to
you a mouth,
and you will
be to him
as God.
17 You
shall take this
rod in your
hand, with which
you shall 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.”
19 The
LORD said to Moses
in Midian, “Go,
return into Egypt;
for all the
men who sought
your life are
dead.”
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
rod in his
hand.
21 The
LORD 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.
22 You
shall tell Pharaoh, ‘The
LORD says, Israel
is my son,
my firstborn,
23 and
I have said to
you, “Let my
son go, that
he may serve
me;” and you
have refused to
let him go.
Behold, I will
kill your
firstborn son.’ ”
24 On
the way at
a lodging place,
the LORD met Moses
and wanted to
kill him.
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.”
26 So
he let him
alone. Then she said, “You
are a bridegroom
of blood,” because
of the
circumcision.
27 The
LORD said to Aaron, “Go
into the
wilderness to meet
Moses.”
He went, and
met him on
God’s mountain,
and kissed him.
28 Moses
told Aaron all the
LORD’s words with
which he had
sent him, and
all the signs with
which he had
instructed him.
29 Moses
and Aaron went and
gathered together all
the elders of
the children of
Israel.
30 Aaron spoke
all the words
which the LORD
had spoken to
Moses, and did
the signs in the
sight of the
people.
31 The
people believed, and
when they heard
that the LORD
had visited the
children of Israel,
and that he
had seen their
affliction, then
they bowed their
heads and
worshiped.