Exodus 4:1–17

God Gives Moses Miraculous Power

4Then Moses answered the Lord, “But suppose the Israelites do not believe me and will not listen to what I say. What shall I do if they say that you did not appear to me?”

²So the Lord asked him, “What are you holding?”

“A stick,” he answered.

³The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” When Moses threw it down, it turned into a snake, and he ran away from it. ⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Bend down and pick it up by the tail.” So Moses bent down and caught it, and it became a stick again. ⁵The Lord said, “Do this to prove to the Israelites that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to you.”

⁶The Lord spoke to Moses again, “Put your hand inside your robe.” Moses obeyed; and when he took his hand out, it was diseased, covered with white spots, like snow. ⁷Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your robe again.” He did so, and when he took it out this time, it was healthy, just like the rest of his body. ⁸The Lord said, “If they will not believe you or be convinced by the first miracle, then this one will convince them. ⁹If in spite of these two miracles they still will not believe you, and if they refuse to listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. The water will turn into blood.”

¹⁰But Moses said, “No, Lord, don’t send me. I have never been a good speaker, and I haven’t become one since you began to speak to me. I am a poor speaker, slow and hesitant.”

¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who gives man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? It is I, the Lord. ¹²Now, go! I will help you to speak, and I will tell you what to say.”

¹³But Moses answered, “No, Lord, please send someone else.”

¹⁴At this the Lord became angry with Moses and said, “What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. In fact, he is now coming to meet you and will be glad to see you. ¹⁵You can speak to him and tell him what to say. I will help both of you to speak, and I will tell you both what to do. ¹⁶He will be your spokesman and speak to the people for you. Then you will be like God, telling him what to say. ¹⁷Take this stick with you; for with it you will perform miracles.”