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.”