1 Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’"

2 Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

He said, "A rod."

3 He said, "Throw it on the ground."

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

4 Yahweh 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.

5 "This is so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." 6 Yahweh 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.

7 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.

8 "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. 9 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."

10 Moses said to Yahweh, "O Lord, 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."

11 Yahweh said to him, "Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."

13 Moses said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

14 Yahweh’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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

18 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."

19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

20 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. 21 Yahweh 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. 22 You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 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.’"

24 On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him. 25 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."

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

27 Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."

He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

1 摩西回答： "看哪， 他们必不信我， 也不听我的话； 因为他们必说： ‘耶和华并没有向你显现。’"

2 耶和华问摩西： "那在你手里的是什么？"他说： "是手杖。"

3 耶和华说： "把它丢在地上。"摩西把它一丢在地上， 它就变了蛇； 摩西就逃跑， 离开了它。

4 耶和华对摩西说： "伸出你的手来， 捉住蛇的尾巴。"摩西就伸出手来， 紧握着它， 它在摩西的掌中又变回了手杖。

5 "这样就使他们相信耶和华他们祖宗的 神， 就是亚伯拉罕的 神、以撒的 神、雅各的 神曾向你显现了。"

6 耶和华又再对摩西说： "现在把你的手放进怀里。"摩西就把手放进怀里； 等他把手抽出来的时候， 手就长满了痲风， 像雪那样白。

7 耶和华说： "把你的手再放进怀里。"摩西就把手再放进怀里； 等他把手从怀里抽出来的时候， 手就恢复过来， 像身上别处的肉一样。

8 耶和华又说： "如果他们不信你， 也不听从头一个神迹的话， 他们必信随后来的神迹。

9 如果连这两个神迹他们也不信， 也不听你的话， 你就从河里取些水， 倒在旱地上； 你从河里取来的水就必在旱地上变成血。"

10 摩西对耶和华说： "主啊， 我不是个会说话的人； 以前不是， 自从你对仆人说话以后也不是； 因为我本是拙口笨舌的。"

11 耶和华对他说： "谁造人的口呢？谁使人口哑、耳聋、眼明、眼瞎呢？不是我耶和华吗？

12 现在去吧， 我必赐你口才， 指教你当说的。"

13 摩西说： "主啊， 请你差派你愿意差派的人。"

14 耶和华向摩西发怒， 说： "不是有你的哥哥利未人亚伦吗？我知道他是有口才的； 他现在出来要迎接你。他看见了你， 心里就快乐。

15 你要对他说话， 把你要说的话放在他的口里； 我必与你的口同在， 也与他的口同在； 我必指教你们当行的事。

16 他要替你向人民说话， 他要作你的口， 你要作他的 神。

17 这手杖你要拿在手里， 用来行神迹。"

18 于是， 摩西起程回到他岳父叶忒罗那里， 对他说： "请你容我离开这里， 回到我在埃及的同胞那里， 看看他们是否还在。"叶忒罗对摩西说： "你可以平平安安地去吧。"

19 耶和华在米甸对摩西说： "你要起程， 回到埃及去， 因为那些寻索你命的人都死了。"

20 摩西就带着他的妻子和孩子， 让他们骑在驴上， 向着埃及地回去了； 摩西手里拿着 神的杖。

21 耶和华对摩西说： "你起程回到埃及去的时候， 要留意我交在你手里的一切奇事， 把它们行在法老面前； 我却要使他的心刚硬， 他就不让人民离开。

22 你要对法老说： ‘耶和华这样说： 以色列是我的长子。

23 我曾对你说， 要让我的儿子离开这里， 好叫他事奉我。你还是拒绝让他离开， 看哪！ 我必杀你的长子。’"

24 在路上住宿的地方， 耶和华遇见了摩西， 就想要杀他。

25 西坡拉就拿了一把石刀， 把她儿子的包皮割下来， 把它丢到摩西的脚上， 说： "你真是我的血郎了！ "

26 这样， 耶和华才放了他。那时西坡拉说： "你是血郎， 是因为割礼的缘故。"

27 耶和华对亚伦说： "你到旷野去迎接摩西。"他就去了； 他在 神的山遇见了摩西， 就和他亲嘴。

28 摩西把耶和华派他所说的一切话， 和吩咐他所行的一切神迹都告诉了亚伦。

29 摩西和亚伦就去召集以色列人的长老。

30 亚伦把耶和华对摩西所说的一切话都说了一遍， 并且在人民的眼前行了这些神迹。

31 人民就相信了； 他们听见耶和华眷顾以色列人， 也鉴察了他们的痛苦， 就俯伏敬拜。