EXODUS 4

Then Moses answered and said, But then, they will not believe me or listen to my voice; for they will say, Yehowah has not appeared to you. 2 And Yehowah said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Throw it on the ground. And he threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses fled from it. 4 But Yehowah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand and catch it by the tail-and he stretched out his hand and caught hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand- 5 in order that they may believe that Yehowah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. 6 And Yehowah said further to him, Now put your hand into your clothing.* And he put his hand into his clothing; and when he took it out, his hand was then leprous, like snow. 7 Then he said, Put your hand into your clothing again. So he put his hand into his clothing again; and when he took it out of his clothing, it was then restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 So, Yehowah said, if they will not believe you or attend to the evidence of the first sign, they will believe the evidence of the second sign. 9 And if they will not even believe these two signs or attend to your voice, you shall take some of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land; and the water which you take out of the river shall become blood on the dry land. * lit bosom

10 But Moses said to Yehowah, O my Lord, I am not a man of words, neither before nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and have a slow tongue. 11 Then Yehowah 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, Yehowah? 12 Now go, and I will be in your mouth and teach you what to speak. 13 And he said, O my Lord, I pray thee, act by means of some other person. 14 Then the anger of Yehowah flared up against Moses, and he said, Is there not your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, look, he is coming out to meet you; and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. 15 And you shall speak to him, and put words in his mouth; and I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and will teach you what to do. 16 And he shall speak to the people on your behalf; and so he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand; and with it you shall do the signs.

18 Then Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Please let me go back to my brothers who are in Egypt, to see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And Yehowah said to Moses in Midian, Go back to Egypt; for all those who sought your life are dead. 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on an ass, and returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And Yehowah said to Moses, When you get back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hands; but I will make his heart obstinate, so that he will not send the people away. 22 And you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says Yehowah, Israel is my son, my firstborn; 23 and I say to you, Let my son go so that he may serve me; and if you refuse to let him go, then I will kill your son, your firstborn.

24 Then on the journey in a lodging-place Yehowah met him, and tried to kill him. 25 And Zipporah took a flint, and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched the feet of Moses with it, and 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 And Yehowah said to Aaron, Go into the desert to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all Yehowah's words with which he had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and called together all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30 and Aaron spoke all the words which Yehowah had spoken to Moses; and he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed, when they heard that Yehowah had observed the sons of Israel and had looked on their oppression; and they bowed their heads 1n worship.