1 T hen 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, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, for they will say, The LORD has not appeared unto thee.

2 S o the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”

And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

3 A nd He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.

4 T hen 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),

And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth 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.”

Therefore they will believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared unto thee.

6 F urthermore 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.

And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Now put thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 A nd 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.

And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as 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.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 A nd 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. ”

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

10 T hen 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.”

¶ Then Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither up until now, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy slave; but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.

11 S o the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord ?

And the LORD said unto him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb or the deaf or the seeing or the blind? Am not I the LORD?

12 N ow therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

Now therefore go and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 B ut he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 S o 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.

Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Do I not know thy brother Aaron, the Levite, and that he can speak well? And also, behold, he comes forth to meet thee, and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 N ow 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.

And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 S o 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.

And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be unto thee as thy mouth, and thou shalt be unto him as God.

17 A nd you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” Moses Goes to Egypt

And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand with which thou shalt do the signs.

18 S o 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.”

¶ Thus Moses went and returned unto Jethro, his father-in-law, and said unto him, I shall go now and return unto my brethren who are in Egypt and see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 N ow the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”

And the LORD also said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead who sought thy life.

20 T hen 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.

Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 A nd 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.

And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand; but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 T hen you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, The LORD hath said thus: Israel is my son, even my firstborn.

23 S o 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.”’”

And I have said unto thee, Let my son go that he may serve me, but thou hast refused to let him go; therefore, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 A nd it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.

¶ And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.

25 T hen 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!”

Then Zipporah took a sharp flint and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at his feet, saying, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 S o He let him go. Then she said, “ You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 A nd 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.

And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went and met him in the mount of God and kissed him.

28 S o Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

Then Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 T hen Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel:

30 A nd Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.

And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses and did the signs before the eyes of the people.

31 S o 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.

And the people believed; and hearing that the LORD had visited the sons of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed and worshipped.