Chapter 4
1 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 Yahweh said to him , " What is that in your hand ?" He said, " A rod ."
3 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 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 " This is so 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 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 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 " 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 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 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 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 Now therefore go , and I will be with your mouth , and teach you what you shall speak ."
13 Moses said, " Oh , Lord, please send someone else ."
14 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 is coming out to meet you . When he sees you , he will be glad in his heart .
15 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 He will be your spokesman to the people . It will happen that he will be to you a mouth , and you will be to him as God.
17 You shall take this rod in your hand , with which you shall do the signs."
18 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 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian , " Go , return into Egypt ; for all the men who sought your life are dead ."
20 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 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 You shall tell Pharaoh , ‘ Yahweh says , Israel is my son , my firstborn ,
23 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 firstborn son .’"
24 On the way at a lodging place , Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him .
25 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 So he let him alone . Then she said, " You are a bridegroom of blood ," because of the circumcision .
27 Yahweh said to Aaron, " Go into the wilderness to meet Moses ." He went , and met him on God ’s mountain , and kissed him .
28 Moses told Aaron all Yahweh ’s words with which he had sent him , and all the signs with which he had instructed him .
29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel .
30 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses , and did the signs in the sight of the people .
31 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 .