Open English Translation EXO Chapter 4

4 “But listen,” Mosheh responded, “they won’t believe me and won’t listen to what I say, because they’ll say, ‘Yahweh never showed himself to you.’ ” 2 “Well, what’s that in your hand?” Yahweh asked.

“My shepherd’s staff,” he said. 3 “Throw it on the ground,” Yahweh said. So Mosheh he threw it onto the ground and it became a snake, and he quickly moved back away from it. 4 “Pick it up by its tail.” Yahweh told him. So Mosheh picked it up by the tail and it became a staff in his hand again. 5 “That’s so that they’ll believe that I appeared to you: Yahweh—the god of their ancestors—the god of Abraham, Yitshak, and Yacob.”

6 “Now put your hand on your chest—inside your robe.” Yahweh added. So Mosheh did that, and when he pulled it out again, his hand had gone totally white with disease. 7 Then Yahweh said, “Now, put your hand back in again.” So Mosheh did it again, and when he pulled it out, wow, it had returned to normal. 8 “So, if they don’t believe you, and if the first miracle doesn’t convince them, then they’ll believe that second miracle. 9 And then, even if they don’t believe those two miracles and won’t believe what you tell them, then you should take some water from the river and pour it onto the dry land. Then the water which came from the river will turn into blood there on the dry land.”

10 “Oh my master,” Mosheh responded, “I’m not very good at speaking to others—I never have been and still aren’t. I seem to get tongue-tied easily.”

11 “Who was it that made people’s mouths?” Yahweh said. “Who makes someone mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Isn’t it me, Yahweh? 12 So get going now, and I’ll look after your mouth and show you what you to say.”

13 But Mosheh replied, “Oh master, please send someone else.”

14 Then Yahweh got angry with Mosheh and told him, “Isn’t Aharon (Aaron) a fellow Levite and your brother? I know that he can speak well, and what’s more, he’ll come from Egypt to meet you, and when he does, he’ll be very happy. 15 He’ll become your speaker and you’ll be able to talk to him and tell him what to say. I’ll be helping both of you speak and I’ll teach you both what you should do. 16 So in that way, he’ll be like a mouth for you and speak to the people for you, and you’ll be like God to him. 17 In addition, you’ll have that staff with you in order to do those miracles.”

18 Then Mosheh went back to his father-in-law Yetro (Jethro), and told him, “Can I please leave so I can return to my relatives in Egypt and see whether they’re still alive.”

“Go in peace,” Yetro answered.

19 Meanwhile Yahweh had told Mosheh in Midian, “Leave here and return to Egypt because all those who wanted to kill you are now dead.” 20 Then Mosheh took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and returned towards Egypt with them, and Mosheh took the staff that God had turned into a snake.

21 On the way, Yahweh said to Mosheh, “When you return to Egypt, all those miracles that I gave you, you’ll be able to demonstrate them in front of Far’oh (Pharaoh), but as for me, I’m going to make him stubborn so that he won’t let your people leave. 22 But tell Far’oh, ‘Yahweh has stated that Yisra’el is like his oldest son 23 and he asked you to let that son go so that he can serve him. But you refused to let Yisra’el go, so Yahweh will kill your oldest son.’ ”[ref]

24 One night as they were overnighting at a lodging place near the road, Yahweh confronted Mosheh and would have killed him, 25 but his wife Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Mosheh’s feet saying, “You’re definitely a bloody husband to me.” 26 (That was referring to circumcision.) So then Yahweh left them alone.

27 Meanwhile Yahweh had told Aharon, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Mosheh.” So he went and met him at the hill of God, and he kissed him. 28 Then Mosheh told Aharon everything that Yahweh had told him and how he had sent him, and all the miracles that he commanded him to demonstrate.

29 Then Mosheh and Aharon went to Egypt and they assembled all the Israeli elders 30 and Aharon told them everything that Yahweh had spoken to Mosheh. Then Mosheh did the miracles in front of them, 31 and the people believed. Then they heard how Yahweh had paid attention to the Israelis and that he had seen their suffering, and they bowed and prostrated themselves in thankfulness.