Exodus 4-5
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 4
1Then Moses said, 'What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’?' 2The Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' And he said, 'A staff.' 3Then He said, 'Throw it on the ground.' So he threw it on the ground, and it turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, 'Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail'—so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his hand— 5so 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.'
6The Lord furthermore said to him, 'Now put your hand inside the fold of your robe.' So he put his hand inside the fold, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
7Then He said, 'Put your hand inside the fold of your robe again.' So he put his hand into the fold again, and when he took it out of the fold, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
8So if they will not believe you nor pay attention to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the last sign.
9But if they will not believe even these two signs nor pay attention to 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 will turn into blood on the dry ground.'
10Then Moses said to the Lord, 'Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.'
11But the Lord said to him, 'Who has made the human mouth? Or who makes anyone unable to speak or deaf, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
12Now then go, and I Myself will be with your mouth, and instruct you in what you are to say.'
13But he said, 'Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.'
14Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, 'Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.
15So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I Myself will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do.
16He shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.
17And you shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.'
18Then Moses departed and returned to his father-in-law Jethro, and said to him, 'Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.' And Jethro said to Moses, 'Go in peace.'
19Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, 'Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.'
20So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
21And the Lord said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: 'Israel is My son, My firstborn.
23So I said to you, ‘Let My son go so that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.'?’?'
24But it came about at the overnight encampment on the way, that the Lord met Moses, and sought to put him to death.
25So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet; and she said, 'You are indeed a groom of blood to me!'
26So He left him alone. At that time she said, 'You are a groom of blood'— because of the circumcision.
27Now the Lord said to Aaron, 'Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.' So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do.
29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel;
30and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people.
31So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.
Chapter 5
1And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’?' 2But Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.' 3Then they said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.' 4But the king of Egypt said to them, 'Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!' 5Again Pharaoh said, 'Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!' 6So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as previously; have them go and gather straw for themselves. 8But you shall impose on them the quota of bricks which they were making before; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, for that reason they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Let the labor be heavier on the men, and have them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.'
10So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, 'This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not going to give you any straw.
11You go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but none of your labor will be reduced.’?'
12So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, 'Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.'
14Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and asked, 'Why have you not completed your required task of making bricks either yesterday or today, as before?'
15Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, 'Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.'
17But he said, 'You are lazy, very lazy; for that reason you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, but you must deliver the quota of bricks.'
19The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble, since they were told, 'You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.'
20When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them.
21And they said to them, 'May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have made us repulsive in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!'
King James Version
Chapter 4
1And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. 2And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
11And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
15And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
17And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
18And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
19And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
23And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
24And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.
25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
26So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
27And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
28And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
29And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
30And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Chapter 5
1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. 3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.
18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
Christian Standard Bible
3"Throw it on the ground," he said. So Moses threw it on the ground, it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4The Lord told Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail." So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.
5"This will take place," he continued, "so that they will 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."
6In addition the Lord said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, resembling snow.
7"Put your hand back inside your cloak," he said. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin.
8"If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign.
9And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground."
11The Lord said to him, "Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
12Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say."
14Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, "Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you.
15You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do.
16He will speak to the people for you. He will serve as a mouth for you, and you will serve as God to him.
17And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with."
19Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, "Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
21The Lord instructed Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go.
22And you will say to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
23I told you: Let my son go so that he may worship me, but you refused to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your firstborn son!"
24On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and intended to put him to death.
25So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, threw it at Moses’s feet, and said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me!"
26So he let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision.
27Now the Lord had said to Aaron, "Go and meet Moses in the wilderness." So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs he had commanded him to do.
29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites.
30Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people.
31The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped.
4The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labor!"
5Pharaoh also said, "Look, the people of the land are so numerous, and you would stop them from their labor."
6That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the people as well as their foremen:
7"Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves.
8But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers—that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words."
10So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, "This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not giving you straw.
11Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’"
12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13The overseers insisted, "Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided."
14Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, "Why haven’t you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?"
15So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way?
16No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault."
17But he said, "You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’
18Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks."
New Living Translation
6Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Now put your hand inside your cloak.' So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease.
7Now put your hand back into your cloak,' the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.
8The Lord said to Moses, 'If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign.
9And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.'
11Then the Lord asked Moses, 'Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord?
12Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.'
14Then the Lord became angry with Moses. 'All right,' he said. 'What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.
15Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do.
16Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.
17And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.'
21And the Lord told Moses, 'When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.
22Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
23I commanded you, 'Let my son go, so he can worship me.' But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’'
24On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him.
25But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, 'Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.'
26(When she said 'a bridegroom of blood,' she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
27Now the Lord had said to Aaron, 'Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.' So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him.
28Moses then told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the Lord had commanded him to perform.
29Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together.
30Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched.
31Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
4Pharaoh replied, 'Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!
5Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.'
6That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen:
7Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves!
8But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’
9Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!'
10So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people: 'This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you.
11Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!'
12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in search of stubble to use as straw.
13Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. 'Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!' they demanded.
14Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews. 'Why haven’t you met your quotas either yesterday or today?' they demanded.
15So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. 'Please don’t treat your servants like this,' they begged.
16We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!'
17But Pharaoh shouted, 'You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’
18Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.'
19The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, 'You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.'
20As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them.
21The foremen said to them, 'May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!'
English Standard Version
Chapter 4
1Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’" 2The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." 3And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4But the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and catch it by the tail" — so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand — 5"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." 6Again, the Lord said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7Then God said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8"If they will not believe you," God said, "or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."
10But Moses said to the Lord, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue."
11Then the Lord said to him, "Who has made man 's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
12Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak."
13But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else."
14Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.
16He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
17And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs."
18Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
19And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead."
20So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
21And the Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
23and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’"
24At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
25Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son 's foreskin and touched Moses ' feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!"
26So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
27The Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do.
29Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.
30Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Chapter 5
1Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’" 2But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." 3Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days ' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." 4But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens." 5And Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!" 6The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7"You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words."
10So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.
11Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’"
12So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw."
14And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh 's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?"
15Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, "Why do you treat your servants like this?
16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people."
17But he said, "You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks."
19The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, "You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day."
20They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh;
21and they said to them, "The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
New International Version
3The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4Then 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.
5"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."
8Then the Lord said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.
9But 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."
11The Lord said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
12Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
14Then 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 he will be glad to see you.
15You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16He 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.
17But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it."
19Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead."
20So 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.
21The 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.
22Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,
23and 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.’ "
24At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.
25But 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.
26So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27The Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.
29Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
30and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
31and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
4But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!"
5Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working."
6That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:
7"You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
8But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."
10Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw.
11Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ "
12So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
13The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw."
14And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, "Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"
15Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way?
16Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."
17Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."
19The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."
20When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,
21and they said, "May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
New King James Version
3And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),
5“that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.
7And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.
8“Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
9And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
11So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?
12Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
14So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.
16So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.
17And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
19Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”
20Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
23So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
24And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.
25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”
26So He let him go. Then she said, “ You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
27And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
29Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
30And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.
31So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
4Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.”
5And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
6So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
7“You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
10And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.
11Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ”
12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”
14Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants?
16There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”
17But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”
19And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
