Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Moses' Staff

And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to thee.

1

Signs of the LORD’s Power

But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you’?”

2

And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A staff.

2

Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

3

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

3

“Throw it down on the ground,” the LORD told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

4

And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand and take it by the tail -- and he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand --

4

Then the LORD told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

5

that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

5

“Perform this sign,” the LORD told him. “Then they will believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob — really has appeared to you.”

6

Moses' Hand

And Jehovah said moreover to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.

6

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease.a

7

And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his flesh.

7

“Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the LORD said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

8

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the other sign.

8

The LORD said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign.

9

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also those two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] on the dry [land]; and the water that thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land].

9

And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”

10

The Appointment of Aaron

And Moses said to Jehovah, Ah Lord! I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.

10

But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

11

And Jehovah said to him, Who gave man a mouth? or who maketh dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? [have] not I, Jehovah?

11

Then the LORD asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD?

12

And now go, and I will be with thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say.

12

Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

13

And he said, Ah Lord! send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.

13

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”

14

Then the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he goeth out to meet thee; and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart.

14

Then the LORD became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.

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And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

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Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do.

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And he shall speak for thee unto the people; and it shall come to pass that he shall be to thee for a mouth, and thou shalt be to him for God.

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Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.

17

And thou shalt take this staff in thy hand, with which thou shalt do the signs.

17

And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”

18

Moses Leaves for Egypt

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, that I may see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

18

Moses Returns to Egypt

So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”
“Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

19

And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life.

19

Before Moses left Midian, the LORD said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

20

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them riding upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

20

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.

21

And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou goest to return to Egypt, see that thou do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in thy hand. And I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

21

And the LORD told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.

22

And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

22

Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son.

23

And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

23

I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’”

24

And it came to pass on the way, in the inn, that Jehovah came upon him, and sought to slay him.

24

On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the LORD confronted him and was about to kill him.

25

Then Zipporah took a stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, A bloody husband indeed art thou to me!

25

But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feetb with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”

26

And he let him go. Then she said, A bloody husband -- because of the circumcision.

26

(When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the LORD left him alone.

27

The People Believe Moses and Aaron

And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.

27

Now the LORD had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him.

28

And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah who had sent him, and all the signs that he had commanded him.

28

Moses then told Aaron everything the LORD had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the LORD had commanded him to perform.

29

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel;

29

Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together.

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and Aaron spoke all the words that Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.

30

Aaron told them everything the LORD had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched.

31

And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

31

Then the people of Israel were convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Parallel

Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Exodus 4

Exodus 4