Exodus, Chapter 4:
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Verses from Exodus, Chapter 4 of the book of Exodus in the Bible.
Signs for Moses
- 1. Moses replied, “They will not believe me nor listen to me, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to him.'”
- 2. Then the Lord asked him: “What do you have in your hand?” “A stick,” Moses replied.
- 3. The Lord said to him, “Throw her down.” Moses threw it to the ground and it turned into a snake. Moses fled from her,
- 4. but the Lord said to him, “Stretch out your hand and take her by the tail.” Moses reached out his hand and caught it by the tail, and it became a stick in his hand.
- 5. “This,” said the Lord, “so that you may believe that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
- 6. Then the Lord said to him: “Place your hand on your chest.” Moses put his hand on his chest, and when he took it out, it was leprous, white as snow.
- 7. “Now put your hand on your chest again,” said the Lord. Moses placed his hand on his chest again and, when he took it off, it was normal again, like the rest of his body.
- 8. “If they neither believe nor listen to you because of the first sign, they will certainly believe because of the second sign.
- 9. But if they still do not believe these two signs and do not listen to what you say, take water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground and it will turn into blood.”
- 10. But Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, either before or since you spoke to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- 11. The Lord asked him, “Who made man's mouth? Who made the mute? Who makes the deaf? Who gives the vision? Am I not the Lord?
- 12. Go now. I will help you speak and teach you what to say.”
- 13. But Moses insisted, “O Lord, please send someone else.”
- 14. Then the Lord was angry with Moses and said, “Do you not have your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. He is already coming to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.
- 15. Talk to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and his, teaching you what you should do.
- 16. He will speak to the people for you, and you will serve as God to him.
- 17. Take this rod in your hand so that you can perform the signs.”
Moses returns to Egypt
- 18. Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, “Let me go back to my people who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Jethro replied, “Go in peace.”
- 19. The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.”
- 20. So Moses took his wife and his children, put them on a donkey, and returned to Egypt. And he carried with him the rod of God in his hand.
- 21. The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, look at all the signs I have made you perform in the presence of Pharaoh. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.
- 22. Then you shall say to Pharaoh: Thus says the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.
- 23. And I said unto him, Let my son go, that he may serve me. But you refused to let him go. So I will kill your son, your firstborn.”
- 24. On the way, when Moses was in the inn, the Lord met him and sought to kill him.
- 25. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, saying, "You are a bloodthirsty husband to me!"
- 26. And the Lord left him alone. That was the reason she said “bloodthirsty husband,” referring to circumcision.
- 27. The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went and found Moses on the mountain of God and kissed him.
- 28. Then Moses told Aaron everything that the Lord had told him about Pharaoh and all the signs he had commanded.
- 29. Moses and Aaron went and called together all the leaders of the Israelites.
- 30. Aaron told them everything that the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people.
- 31. And the people believed. When they heard that the Lord had visited the Israelites and had seen their distress, they bowed down and worshipped.
