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.’”

Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’”

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

Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” 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.

He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from 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.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.” He stretched out his hand, and took hold of 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 they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has 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.

Yahweh said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand inside his cloak, 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.

He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.” He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other 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.

“It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter 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.”

It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will 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.”

Moses said to Yahweh, “O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow 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?

Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh?

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 teach you what you shall speak.”

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

He said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.”

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.

Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

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 shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. 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 will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.

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

You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do 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.”

Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” 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.”

Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought 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.

Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod 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.

Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

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

You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, Israel is my son, 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 have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me”; and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”

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

On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted 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.”

Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood 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.

So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” 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.

Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went, and met him on God’s mountain, 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 Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed 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 children of Israel.

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 Yahweh 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.

The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.