Exodus 4

4Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"H4872H6030H559H539H8085H6963H559H3068H72002Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.H3068H559H3027H559H42943The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.H559H7993H776H7993H776H5175H4872H5127H64404Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.H3068H559H4872H7971H3027H270H2180H7971H3027H2388H4294H37095"This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."H539H3068H430H1H430H85H430H3327H430H3290H72006Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.H3068H559H5750H935H3027H2436H935H3027H2436H3318H3027H6879H79507"Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.H559H7725H3027H2436H7725H7725H3027H2436H7725H3318H2436H7725H13208Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.H539H8085H6963H7223H226H539H6963H314H2269But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."H539H8147H226H8085H6963H3947H4325H2975H8210H3004H4325H3947H2975H1818H300610Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."H4872H559H3068H994H136H376H1697H8032H8543H227H1696H5650H3515H6310H3515H395611The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?H3068H559H7760H120H6310H7760H483H2795H6493H5787H306812Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."H3212H6310H3384H169613But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."H559H994H136H7971H3027H797114Then the LORD'S anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.H639H3068H2734H4872H559H175H3881H251H3045H1696H1696H3318H7125H7200H8055H382015You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.H1696H7760H1697H6310H6310H6310H3384H621316He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.H1696H5971H6310H43017But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."H3947H4294H3027H6213H22618Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive." Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."H4872H3212H7725H3500H2859H559H3212H7725H251H4714H7200H5750H2416H3503H559H4872H3212H796519Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."H3068H559H4872H4080H3212H7725H4714H582H4191H1245H531520So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.H4872H3947H802H1121H7392H2543H7725H776H4714H4872H3947H4294H430H302721The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.H3068H559H4872H3212H7725H4714H7200H6213H4159H6440H6547H7760H3027H2388H3820H5971H797122Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,H559H6547H559H3068H3478H1121H106023and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"H559H1121H7971H5647H3985H7971H2026H1121H106024At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.H1870H4411H3068H6298H1245H419125But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses'feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.H6855H3947H6864H3772H6190H1121H5060H7272H559H1818H286026So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)H7503H559H1818H2860H413927The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.H3068H559H175H3212H4057H7125H4872H3212H6298H2022H430H540128Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.H4872H5046H175H1697H3068H7971H226H668029Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,H4872H175H3212H622H2205H1121H347830and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,H175H1696H1697H3068H1696H4872H6213H226H5869H597131and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.H5971H539H8085H3068H6485H1121H3478H7200H6040H6915H7812