1 T hen Moses answered, “What if they will not believe me or listen to me? They might say, ‘The Lord has not shown Himself to you.’”

And Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to and obey my voice; for they will say, The Lord has not appeared to you.

2 T he Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses said, “A stick.”

And the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.

3 T hen the Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. And Moses ran from it.

And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he did so and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 B ut the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and take it by its tail.” So Moses put out his hand and caught it. And it became a stick in his hand.

And the Lord said to Moses, Put forth your hand and take it by the tail. And he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand,

5 T he Lord said, “By seeing this 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 shown Himself to you.”

that the elders may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has indeed appeared to you.

6 T he Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your coat.” So Moses put his hand inside his coat. When he took it out, his hand had a bad skin disease and was white as snow.

The Lord said also to him, Put your hand into your bosom. He put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7 T hen God said, “Put your hand inside your coat again.” So Moses put his hand inside his coat again. When he took it out of his coat, he saw that it had become like his other flesh.

said, Put your hand into your bosom again. So he put his hand back into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored as the rest of his flesh.

8 G od said, “If they will not listen to you or believe you when they are shown the first thing, they may believe when this is shown to them.

If they will not believe you or heed the voice or the testimony of the first sign, they may believe the voice or the witness of the second sign.

9 B ut they might not believe even these two things or listen to what you say. So then take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. And the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

But if they will also not believe these two signs or heed your voice, you shall take some water of the river and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which you take out of the river shall become blood on the dry land.

10 M oses said to the Lord, “Lord, I am not a man of words. I have never been. Even now since You spoke to Your servant, I still am not. For I am slow in talking and it is difficult for me to speak.”

And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue.

11 T hen the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes a man not able to speak or hear? Who makes one blind or able to see? Is it not I, the Lord?

And the Lord said to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

12 S o go now. And I will be with your mouth. I will teach you what to say.”

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say.

13 B ut Moses said, “O Lord, I ask of You, send some other person.”

And he said, Oh, my Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of whom You will.

14 T hen the anger of the Lord burned against Moses. He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming to meet you. And when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

Then the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses; He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.

15 Y ou must speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and his mouth. I will teach you what you are to do.

You must 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.

16 H e will speak to the people for you. He will be a mouth for you. And you will be as God to him.

He shall speak for you to the people, acting as a mouthpiece for you, and you shall be as God to him.

17 Y ou will take this special stick in your hand. And you will use it to make the special things happen for the people to see.” Moses Returns to Egypt

And you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall work the signs.

18 T hen Moses left and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “I ask of you, let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

And Moses went away and, returning to Jethro his father-in-law, said to him, Let me go back, I pray you, to my relatives in Egypt to see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 T he Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Return to Egypt. For all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”

The Lord said to Moses in Midian, Go back to Egypt; for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.

20 S o Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the special stick of God in his hand.

And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on donkeys, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 T he Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, make sure you show Pharaoh all the works that I have placed in your power. But I will make his heart hard so that he will not let the people go.

And the Lord said to Moses, When you return into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all those miracles and wonders which I have put in your hand; but I will make him stubborn and harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

22 T hen say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord says this: “Israel is My son, My first-born.

And you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is My son, even My firstborn.

23 A nd I say to you, ‘Let My son go. Let him work for Me.’ But if you will not let him go, I will kill your son, your first-born.”’”

And I say to you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, your firstborn.

24 T he Lord met Moses at a resting place on the way and would have put him to death.

Along the way at a place, the Lord met and sought to kill him.

25 B ut Zipporah took a knife and cut off her son’s piece of skin and threw it at Moses’ feet. And she said, “For sure you are a husband of blood to me.”

'> failed to circumcise one of his sons, his wife being opposed to it; but seeing his life in such danger] Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it to touch feet, and said, Surely a husband of blood you are to me!

26 T hen the Lord let him alone. Zipporah said, “You are a husband of blood,” because of the religious act of becoming a Jew.

When He let alone, Zipporah said, A husband of blood are you because of the circumcision.

27 T he Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the desert.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.

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

28 M oses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him. And he told him about all the special works that the Lord had told him to do.

Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs with which He had charged him.

29 T hen Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the leaders of the people of Israel.

Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites.

30 A aron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did all the special works for the people to see.

Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 S o the people believed. When they heard that the Lord cared about the people of Israel and had seen their suffering, they bowed to the ground and worshiped.

And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the Israelites, and that He had looked upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.