Exodus 4

¹Responding, Moses said, “They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

²Therefore, he said to him, “What is that you hold in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.”

³And the Lord said, “Cast it down upon the ground.” He cast it down, and it was turned into a snake, so that Moses fled away.

⁴And the Lord said, “Reach out your hand, and take hold of its tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold, and it was turned into a staff.

⁵“So may they believe,” he said, “that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

⁶And the Lord said again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, resembling snow.

⁷“Put your hand back,” he said, “into your bosom.” He put it back and brought it out again, and it was like the rest of his flesh.

⁸“If they will not believe you,” he said, “and will not listen to the sermon of the first sign, then they will believe the word of the subsequent sign.

⁹But if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice: take from the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and whatever you will have drawn from the river will be turned into blood.”

¹⁰Moses said: “I beg you, O Lord, I was not eloquent yesterday or the day before. And from the time that you have spoken to your servant, I have a greater impediment and slowness of tongue.”

¹¹The Lord said to him: “Who made the mouth of man? And who has formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I?

¹²Go on, therefore, and I will be in your mouth. And I will teach you what you shall say.”

¹³But he said, “I beg you, O Lord, send whomever else you would send.”

¹⁴The Lord, being angry at Moses, said: “Aaron the Levite is your brother. I know that he is eloquent. Behold, he is going out to meet you, and seeing you, he will rejoice in heart.

¹⁵Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth. And I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will reveal to you what you must do.

¹⁶He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth. But you will be with him in those things that pertain to God.

¹⁷Also, take this staff into your hand; with it you will accomplish the signs.”

¹⁸Moses went forth, and he returned to Jethro, his father in law, and he said to him, “I shall go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to him, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹And so the Lord said to Moses in Midian: “Go, and return to Egypt. For all those who sought your life have died.”

²⁰Therefore, Moses took his wife and his sons, and he placed them upon a donkey, and he returned into Egypt, carrying the staff of God in his hand.

²¹And the Lord said to him, as he was returning to Egypt: “See that you accomplish, in the sight of Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have placed in your hand. I will harden his heart, and he will not release the people.

²²And you shall say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.

²³I have said to you: Release my son, so that he may serve me. And you were not willing to release him. Behold, I will put to death your firstborn son.’ ”

²⁴And while he was on the journey, at an inn, the Lord met him, and he was willing to kill him.

²⁵For this reason, Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “You are a bloody spouse to me.”

²⁶And he released him, after she had said, “You are a bloody spouse,” because of the circumcision.

²⁷Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” And he went directly to meet him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him.

²⁸And Moses explained to Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs which he had commanded.

²⁹And they arrived at the same time, and they gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.

³⁰And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses. And he accomplished the signs in the sight of the people,

³¹and the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had looked with favor upon their affliction. And falling prostrate, they worshiped.

Exodus 4

¹Moses answered, and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee.

²Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

³And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled from it.

⁴And the Lord said: Put out thy hand, and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod.

⁵That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

⁶And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow.

⁷And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.

⁸If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.

⁹But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river, shall be turned into blood.

¹⁰Moses said: I beseech thee, Lord, I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before; and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impediment and slowness of tongue.

¹¹The Lord said to him: Who made man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I?

¹²Go therefore, and I will be in thy mouth; and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak.

¹³But he said: I beseech thee, Lord, send whom thou wilt send.

¹⁴The Lord being angry at Moses, said: Aaron the Levite is thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee, shall be glad at heart.

¹⁵Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth: and I will be in thy mouth, and in his month, and will shew you what you must do.

¹⁶He shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to him in those things that pertain to God.

¹⁷And take this rod in thy hand. wherewith thou shalt do the signs.

¹⁸Moses went his way, and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said to him; I will go and return to my brethren into Egypt, that I may see if they be yet alive. And Jethro said to him: Go in peace.

¹⁹And the Lord said to Moses, in Madian: Go, and return into Egypt; for they are all dead that sought thy life.

²⁰Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass; and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.

²¹And the Lord said to him as he was returning into Egypt: See that thou do all the wonders before Pharao, which I have put in thy hand: I shall harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

²²And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

²³I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

²⁴And when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed him.

²⁵Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the foreskin of her son, and touched his feet, and said: A bloody spouse art thou to me.

²⁶And he let him go after she had said: A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.

²⁷And the Lord said to Aaron: Go into the desert to meet Moses. And he went forth to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

²⁸And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs that he had commanded.

²⁹And they came together, and they assembled all the ancients of the children of Israel.

³⁰And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses: and he wrought the signs before the people.

³¹And the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored.