4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
4:2 Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
4:3 The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4:4 Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
4:5 “This,” said the LORD, “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.”
4:6 Then the LORD said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
4:7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
4:8 Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.
4:9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”
4:10 Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
4:11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
4:12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
4:13 But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”
4:14 Then the LORD’S anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
4:15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
4:16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
4:17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it.”
4:18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”
4:19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”
4:20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
4:21 The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
4:22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
4:23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”
4:24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.
4:25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
4:26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
4:27 The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
4:28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
4:29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
4:30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
4:31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
4:1 Then Moses answered and said, What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice, but say, Jehovah has not appeared to you?
4:2 And Jehovah said to him, What is this in your hand? And he said, A staff.
4:3 And He said, Throw it on the ground. And he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses recoiled from it.
4:4 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand, and take it by its tail ? so he stretched out his hand and seized it, and it became a staff in his hand ?
4:5 That they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.
4:6 And Jehovah further said to him, Now put your hand into your bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, there his hand was, leprous, as white as snow.
4:7 And 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, there it was, restored like the rest of his flesh ?
4:8 And if they do not believe you or heed the first sign, then they may believe the next sign.
4:9 And if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, then you shall take some of the water of the River and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you take out of the River will become blood upon the dry ground.
4:10 And Moses said to Jehovah, Please, Lord, I am not a man of words, neither in the past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.
4:11 And Jehovah said to him, Who gave man a mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah?
4:12 Now go therefore, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall speak.
4:13 And he said, Please, Lord, send word by sending someone else.
4:14 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he can certainly speak. And even now he is coming out to meet you; and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
4:15 And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.
4:16 And he shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be as God to him.
4:17 And you shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.
4:18 And Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law. And he said to him, Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt and see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
4:19 And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who were seeking your life have died.
4:20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, and mounted them upon a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
4:21 And Jehovah said to Moses, When you go to return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.
4:22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says Jehovah, Israel is My son, My firstborn.
4:23 And I said to you, Let My son go that he may serve Me; but you have refused to let him go. I will now slay your son, your firstborn.
4:24 And at the lodging place on the way, Jehovah came upon him and sought to put him to death.
4:25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son s foreskin and cast it at Moses feet, and she said, You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me!
4:26 So He let him alone. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision.
4:27 And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went and came upon him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him.
4:28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah with which He had sent him and all the signs with which He had charged him.
4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
4:30 And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people.
4:31 And the people believed; and when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed and worshipped.