Then Moses said
, "What if
they will not believe
me or alisten
1to what
I say
? For they may say
, ` bThe LORD
has not appeared
to you.' "
The LORD said
to him, "What
is that in your hand
?" And he said
, " aA staff
."
Then He said, "Throw
it on the ground
." So he threw
it on the ground
, and ait became
a serpent
; and Moses
fled
from it.
But the LORD said
to Moses
, "Stretch
out your hand
and grasp
it by its tail
"--so he stretched
out his hand
and caught
it, and it became
a staff
in his 1hand
--
"that athey may believe that bthe LORD
, the God
of their fathers
, the God
of Abraham
, the God
of Isaac
, and the God
of Jacob
, has appeared
to you."
The LORD furthermore
said
to him, "Now
put
your hand
into your bosom
." So he put
his hand
into his bosom
, and when he took
it out, behold
, his hand
was aleprous
like snow
.
Then He said, "Put
your hand
into your bosom
again
." So he put
his hand
into his bosom
again
, and when he took
it out of his bosom
, behold
, ait was restored
like the rest of his flesh
.
"If they will not believe
you or 1heed
the 2witness
of the first
sign
, they may believe
the 2witness
of the last
sign
.
"But if they will not believe
even
these
two
signs
or heed
what
you say
, then you shall take
some
water
from the Nile
and pour
it on the dry
ground
; and the water
which
you take
from the Nile
awill become
blood
on the dry
ground
."
Then Moses said
to the LORD
, "Please
, Lord
, aI have never
been 1eloquent
, neither
2recently
nor
in time
past
, nor
since
You have spoken
to Your servant
; for I am 3slow
of speech
and 3slow
of tongue
."
The LORD said
to him, "Who
has made
man's
mouth
? Or
awho
makes
him mute
or
deaf
, or
seeing
or
blind
? Is it not I, the LORD
?
"Now then go
, and aI, even I, will be with your mouth
, and bteach
you what
you are to say
."
But he said, "Please
, Lord
, now
1send
the message by whomever You will
."
Then the anger of the LORD
burned
against Moses
, and He said
, "Is there not your brother
Aaron
the Levite
? I know
that 1he speaks
fluently
. And moreover
, behold
, ahe is coming
out to meet
you; when he sees
you, he will be glad
in his heart
.
"You are to speak to him and aput
the words
in his mouth
; and I, even I, will be with your mouth
and his mouth
, and I will teach
you what
you are to do
.
"Moreover, ahe shall speak for you to the people
; and he will be as a mouth
for you and you will be as God
to him.
"You shall take in your hand
athis
staff
, bwith which
you shall perform
the signs
."
Then Moses departed
and returned
to 1Jethro
ahis father-in-law
and said
to him, "Please
, let me go
, that I may return
to my brethren
who
are in Egypt
, and see
if they are still
alive
." And Jethro
said
to Moses
, "Go
in peace
."
Now the LORD said
to Moses
in Midian
, "Go
1back
to Egypt
, for aall
the men
who were seeking
your life
are dead
."
So Moses took
his wife
and his asons
and mounted
them on a donkey
, and returned
to the land
of Egypt
. Moses
also took
the bstaff
of God
in his hand
.
The LORD said
to Moses
, "When you go
1back
to Egypt
see
that you perform
before
Pharaoh
all
athe wonders
which
I have put
in your 2power
; but bI will harden
his heart
so that he will not let
the people
go
.
"Then you shall say to Pharaoh
, `Thus
says
the LORD
, " aIsrael
is My son
, My firstborn
.
"So I said to you, ` aLet
My son
go
that he may serve
Me'; but you have refused
to let
him go
. Behold
, bI will kill
your son
, your firstborn
.""'
Now it came about at the lodging
place
on the way
that the LORD
met
him and asought
to put
him to death
.
Then Zipporah took
aa flint
and cut
off
her son's
foreskin
and 1threw
it at Moses' feet
, and she said
, "You are indeed
a bridegroom
of blood
to me."
So He let him alone
. At that time
she said
, "You are a bridegroom
of blood
"-- 1because of the circumcision
.
aNow the LORD said
to Aaron
, "Go
to meet
Moses
in the wilderness
." So he went
and met
him at the bmountain
of God
and kissed
him.
aMoses told
Aaron
all
the words
of the LORD
with which
He had sent
him, and ball
the signs
that He had commanded
him to do.
Then Moses and Aaron
went
and aassembled
all
the elders
of the sons
of Israel
;
and aAaron spoke
all
the words
which
the LORD
had spoken
to Moses
. He then performed
the bsigns
in the sight
of the people
.
So athe people believed
; and when they heard
that the LORD
1 bwas concerned
about the sons
of Israel
and that He had seen
their affliction
, then cthey bowed
low
and worshiped
.