The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 4 -

Responding, Moses said, “They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

Therefore, he said to him, “What is that you hold in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.”

And the Lord said, “Cast it down upon the ground.” He cast it down, and it was turned into a snake, so that Moses fled away.

And the Lord said, “Reach out your hand, and take hold of its tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold, and it was turned into a staff.

“So may they believe,” he said, “that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

Moses’ Hand

And the Lord said again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, resembling snow.

“Put your hand back,” he said, “into your bosom.” He put it back and brought it out again, and it was like the rest of his flesh.

“If they will not believe you,” he said, “and will not listen to the sermon of the first sign, then they will believe the word of the subsequent sign.

But if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice: take from the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and whatever you will have drawn from the river will be turned into blood.”

The Appointment of Aaron

Moses said: “I beg you, O Lord, I was not eloquent yesterday or the day before. And from the time that you have spoken to your servant, I have a greater impediment and slowness of tongue.”

The Lord said to him: “Who made the mouth of man? And who has formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I?

Go on, therefore, and I will be in your mouth. And I will teach you what you shall say.”

But he said, “I beg you, O Lord, send whomever else you would send.”

The Lord, being angry at Moses, said: “Aaron the Levite is your brother. I know that he is eloquent. Behold, he is going out to meet you, and seeing you, he will rejoice in heart.

Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth. And I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will reveal to you what you must do.

He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth. But you will be with him in those things that pertain to God.

Also, take this staff into your hand; with it you will accomplish the signs.”

Moses Leaves for Egypt

Moses went forth, and he returned to Jethro, his father in law, and he said to him, “I shall go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to him, “Go in peace.”

And so the Lord said to Moses in Midian: “Go, and return to Egypt. For all those who sought your life have died.”

Therefore, Moses took his wife and his sons, and he placed them upon a donkey, and he returned into Egypt, carrying the staff of God in his hand.

And the Lord said to him, as he was returning to Egypt: “See that you accomplish, in the sight of Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have placed in your hand. I will harden his heart, and he will not release the people.(a)

And you shall say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.

I have said to you: Release my son, so that he may serve me. And you were not willing to release him. Behold, I will put to death your firstborn son.’ ”

And while he was on the journey, at an inn, the Lord met him, and he was willing to kill him.(b)

(c)

For this reason, Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “You are a bloody spouse to me.”

And he released him, after she had said, “You are a bloody spouse,” because of the circumcision.

The People Believe Moses and Aaron

Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” And he went directly to meet him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him.(d)

And Moses explained to Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs which he had commanded.

And they arrived at the same time, and they gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.

And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses. And he accomplished the signs in the sight of the people,

and the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had looked with favor upon their affliction. And falling prostrate, they worshiped.

Footnotes

(a)4:21 I shall harden, etc:Not by being the efficient cause of his sin; but by withdrawing from him, for his just punishment, the dew of grace that might have softened his heart; and so suffering him to grow harder and harder.(Challoner)

(b)4:24 It seems, from the context of the story, that the one the Lord was willing to kill was not Moses, but the firstborn son of Moses. The prior verse spoke about firstborn sons, so the editor placed this event immediately after that text.(Conte)

(c)4:24 The Lord met him, and would have killed him:This was an angel representing the Lord, who treated Moses in this manner, for having neglected the circumcision of his younger son; which his wife understanding, circumcised her child upon the spot, upon which the angel let Moses go.(Challoner)

(d)4:27 This verse is out of chronological order, since, in the earlier verses, Moses has already left the mountain of God.(Conte)

Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”

The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”

He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.

The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.” He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

“This 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.”

Moses’ Hand

The LORD 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.

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.

“It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or 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.”

The Appointment of Aaron

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord,(a) 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.”

The LORD said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD?

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”

Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.”

The LORD’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

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.

He will be your spokesman to the people. It will happen that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.

You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Leaves for Egypt

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.”

The LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”

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.

The LORD 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.

You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘The LORD says, Israel is my son, my firstborn,

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 firstborn son.’”

On the way at a lodging place, the LORD met Moses and wanted to kill him.

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.”

So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

The People Believe Moses and Aaron

The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and kissed him.

Moses told Aaron all the LORD’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him.

Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Footnotes

(a)4:10 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai”.