Exodus 4

Then Moyses answered and said, “But if they do not believe me and do not listen to my voice—for they will say, ‘God has not appeared to you’—what shall I say to them?”

And the Lord said to him, “What is this that is in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”

And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” And he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moyses fled from it.

And the Lord said to Moyses, “Stretch out your hand and take hold of its tail.” So stretching out his hand he took hold of the tail, and it became a rod in his hand—

“so that they may believe you, that the Lord, the God of their fathers, has appeared to you—the God of Abraam and the God of Isaak and the God of Jacob.”

And the Lord said to him again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom, and he brought his hand out from his bosom, and his hand had become like snow.

And he said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” And he put the hand into his bosom and brought it out from his bosom, and again it was restored to the colour of his flesh.

“And if they do not believe you and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe you at the voice of the last sign.”

“And it shall be, if they do not believe you at these two signs and do not listen to your voice, you shall take some of the water of the river and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the river shall be blood on the dry ground.”

But Moyses said to the Lord, “I beg you, Lord, I am not competent—not before yesterday, nor before the day before that, nor from the time you began to speak to your attendant; I am weak of voice and slow of tongue.”

And the Lord said to Moyses, “Who gave a mouth to man? And who made the hard of hearing and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I, God?”

“And now go, and I will open your mouth and instruct you in what you are to speak.”

And Moyses said, “I beg you, Lord, appoint another capable man, whom you will send.”

And the Lord became angry with Moyses and said, “Is not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will surely speak for you. And behold, he himself is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will rejoice within himself.”

“And you shall speak to him and put my words into his mouth; and I will open your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do.”

“And he shall speak for you to the people; and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be to him the things pertaining to God.”

“And this rod, which was turned into a serpent, you shall take in your hand; with it you shall perform the signs.”

Then Moyses went and returned to Iothor his father-in-law and says, “I will go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Iothor said to Moyses, “Go in good health.”

Now after those many days the king of Egypt died. And the Lord said to Moyses in Madiam, “Go, depart for Egypt, for all those who were seeking your life have died.”

So Moyses took his wife and his children and set them on the beasts of burden and returned to Egypt; and Moyses took in his hand the rod that was from God.

And the Lord said to Moyses, “When you go and return to Egypt, see to all the wonders which I have put in your hands: you shall do them before Pharao. But I will harden his heart, and he will certainly not send the people away.”

“And you shall say to Pharao: Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son.

And I said to you, Send my people away, that he may serve me. If then you are not willing to send them away, see, I will kill your firstborn son.”

Now it happened on the way, at the lodging place, an angel of the Lord met him and was seeking to kill him.

And Sepphora, taking a pebble, circumcised the foreskin of her son and fell at his feet and said, “The blood of my child’s circumcision has stopped.”

And he departed from him, because she had said, “The blood of my child’s circumcision has stopped.”

And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moyses.” And he went and met him at the mountain of God, and they kissed each other.

And Moyses reported to Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

Then Moyses and Aaron went and gathered the council of elders of the sons of Israel.

And Aaron spoke all these words which God had spoken to Moyses, and he performed the signs before the people.

And the people believed and rejoiced, because God had visited the sons of Israel and because he had seen their affliction. And the people bowed down and did obeisance.