Exodus 4

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

1 Then Moses answered and said, But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, The Lord has not appeared to you. Then Moses answered and said, But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, The Lord has not appeared to you.2 So the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A rod.3 And He said, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.4 Then the Lord said to Moses, Reach out your hand and take it by the tail (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),5 that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, Now put your hand in your bosom. And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.7 And He said, Put your hand in your bosom again. So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.8 Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land. 10 Then Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.11 So the Lord said to him, Who has made mans mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.13 But he said, O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.

Moses Goes to Egypt

18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.21 And the Lord said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord: Israel is My son, My firstborn.23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses feet, and said, Surely you are a husband of blood to me!26 So He let him go. Then she said, You are a husband of blood!because of the circumcision.27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Exodus 4

The Source of Sufficiency

1 s Moses answered again,t “And ift they do not believe me or pay attention to me,t but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?”2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”ts3 The Lordt said, “Throw it to the ground.” So he threw it to the ground, and it became a snake,s and Moses ran from it.4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and grab it by the tail” – so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hands –

5 “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 also said to him, “Put your hand into your robe.”t So he put his hand into his robe, and when he brought it out – there was his hand,t leprous like snow!s7 He said, “Put your hand back into your robe.” So he put his hand back into his robe, and when he brought it out from his robe – there it was,t restoredt like the rest of his skin!t8 “Ift they do not believe you or pay attention tot the former sign, then they mayt believe the latter sign.t

9 And ift they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you,t then taket some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”s

10 Then Moses said to the Lord,s “Ot my Lord,t I am not an eloquent man,t neither in the pastt nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”t
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gavets a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?s

12 So now go, and I will be with your mouths and will teach yous what you must say.”t

13 But Moses said,t “Ot my Lord, please send anyone else whom you wish to send!”t

14 Then the Lord became angry withts Moses, and he said, “What aboutt your brother Aaron the Levite?s I know that he can speak very well.ts Moreover, he is comingt to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart.s
15 “So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me, I will be with your moutht and with his mouth,t and I will teach you botht what you must do.t16 Het will speak for you to the people, and it will be as ift het were your moutht and as if you were his God.ts

17 You will also take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs.”s

The Return of Moses

18 s So Moses went backt to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may returnt to my relativest in Egypt and seet if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go backt to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”s20 Then Moses tookt his wife and sonss and put them on a donkey and headed backt to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.21 The Lord saidt to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt,t see that yout do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control.t But I will hardent his hearts andt he will not let the people go.22 You must sayt to Pharaoh, ‘Thus sayst the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn,s

23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may servet me,’ but since you have refused to let him go,t I will surely killt your son, your firstborn!”’”
24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night,t the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him.s25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses’ feet,t and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of bloods to me.”

26 So the Lordt let him alone. (At that timet she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” referring tot the circumcision.)
27 The Lord saidt to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of Godt and greeted him with a kiss.t28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who hadt sent him and all the signs that he had commanded him.29 Then Moses and Aaron went and brought together all the Israelite elders.s30 Aaron spoket all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people,

31 and the people believed. When they heardst that the Lord had attended tot the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground.t