Chapter 4

Moses Given Powers

1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or alisten 1to what I say? For they may say, ‘bThe Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “aA staff.”

3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and ait became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his 1hand—

5 “that athey may believe that bthe Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was aleprous like snow.

7 Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, ait was restored like the rest of his flesh.

8 “If they will not believe you or 1heed the 2witness of the first sign, they may believe the 2witness of the last sign.

9 “But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile awill become blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, aI have never been 1eloquent, neither 2recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am 3slow of speech and 3slow of tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or awho makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

12 “Now then go, and aI, even I, will be with your mouth, and bteach you what you are to say.”

13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now 1send the message by whomever You will.”

Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that 1he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, ahe is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

15 “You are to speak to him and aput the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.

16 “Moreover, ahe shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.

17 “You shall take in your hand athis staff, bwith which you shall perform the signs.”

18 Then Moses departed and returned to 1Jethro ahis father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go 1back to Egypt, for aall the men who were seeking your life are dead.”

20 So Moses took his wife and his asons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the bstaff of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you go 1back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all athe wonders which I have put in your 2power; but bI will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

22 “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “aIsrael is My son, My firstborn.

23 “So I said to you, ‘aLet My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, bI will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

24 Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and asought to put him to death.

25 Then Zipporah took aa flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and 1threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.”

26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”—1because of the circumcision.

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

28 aMoses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and ball the signs that He had commanded him to do.

29 Then Moses and Aaron went and aassembled all the elders of the sons of Israel;

30 and aAaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the bsigns in the sight of the people.

31 So athe people believed; and when they heard that the Lord 1bwas concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then cthey bowed low and worshiped.