[1] Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to
my voice; for they will say, `Yahweh has not appeared to you.`" [2] Yahweh
said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." [3] He
said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it
became a snake; and Moses ran away from it. [4] Yahweh said to Moses, "Put
forth your hand, and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand, and
laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand. [5] "That they may
believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." [6] Yahweh said
furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak." He put his
hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was
leprous, as white as snow. [7] He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak
again." He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out
of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh. [8] "It will
happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the
first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. [9] It
will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen
to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it
on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become
blood on the dry land." [10] Moses said to Yahweh, "Oh, Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant;
for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." [11] Yahweh said to him,
"Who made man`s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?
Isn`t it I, Yahweh? [12] Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth,
and teach you what you shall speak." [13] He said, "Oh, Lord, please send
someone else." [14] The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and he
said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak
well. Also, behold, he comes forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will
be glad in his heart. [15] You shall speak to him, and put the words in his
mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you
what you shall do. [16] He will be your spokesman to the people; and it
will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.
[17] You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the
signs." [18] Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said
to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and
see whether they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
[19] Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the
men who sought your life are dead." [20] Moses took his wife and his sons,
and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took
God`s rod in his hand. [21] Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back into
Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in
your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
[22] You shall tell Pharaoh, `Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my
firstborn, [23] and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve
me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your
firstborn.`" [24] It happened on the way at a lodging place, that Yahweh
met him and wanted to kill him. [25] Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut
off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, "Surely
you are a bridegroom of blood to me." [26] So he let him alone. Then she
said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision. [27]
Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." He went,
and met him on God`s mountain, and kissed him. [28] Moses told Aaron all
the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him, and all the signs with
which he had charged him. [29] Moses and Aaron went and gathered together
all the elders of the children of Israel. [30] Aaron spoke all the words
which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the
people. [31] The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had
visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then
they bowed their heads and worshipped.
