Exodus Chapter 4
Signs for Moses
1 Moses answered, “What if they don’t believe me, ‘Yahveh hasn’t really appeared to you!’?”
2 “What’s in your hand?”
“A staff.”
3 “Throw it on the ground.”
He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses jumped back.
4 But Yahveh said, “Grab its tail.” He caught it, and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “They’ll believe that Yahveh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you. 6 Put your hand into your chest.” He did; when he took it out, it was leprous like snow. 7 “Put it in again.” He did, and it became like the rest of him.
8 “If the first sign doesn’t convince them, the second may. 9 If neither one does, dip some water out of the Nile and pour it on dry ground. It’ll become blood.”
Ex 4:1-9
10 Moses said, “Lord, I’ve never been good with words before, or lately since you’ve spoken to me. I stammer and stutter.”
11 “Who made people’s tongues? Who makes people mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Isn’t it me, Yahveh? 12 Go on; I’ll be with your mouth and tell you what to say.”
13 “Lord, send the message by whoever else you want to.”
14Yahveh’s anger flared at Moses,
“Don’t you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He speaks fluently. Besides, he’s coming out to meet you; he’ll be glad to see you. 15 Give him my message. I’ll be with you and him and tell you what to do. 16 He’ll speak to the people for you. He’ll be your mouth, and you’ll be like God to him. 17 Take this staff and perform the signs with it.”
Ex 4:10-17
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro/Reuel and said, “Let me go so I can go to my relatives in Egypt and see if they’re still alive.”
“Have a safe trip.”
19 Yahveh told Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt. The men that were trying to kill you are dead.”
20 Moses put his wife and sons on a donkey and left with God’s staff.
21 Yahveh told him,
“When you get to Egypt, perform the wonders for Pharaoh that I’ve made you able to do, but I’ll harden his heart so he won’t let the people go. 22 Then tell him that Yahveh says, ‘Israel is my son, my firstborn. 23 I’ve told you to let him go so he can serve me,’ but you’ve refused. So I’ll kill your son, your firstborn.’”
24 At a place where they stayed on the way, Yahveh met him and threatened to put him to death. 25 Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet. She said, ‘You’re a bloody groom 26 (because of the circumcision)!” So God let him alone.
Ex 4:18-26
27 Yahveh told Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the open country.” He met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told him what Yahveh had sent him to do. 29 They gathered Israel’s elders, 30 and Aaron told them everything Yahveh had told Moses. Moses performed the signs for the people, 31 and they believed. When they heard Yahveh cared about them and had seen their adversity, they bowed low in worship.
Ex 4:27-31