Exodus 4 - Introduction

1 Moses rod is turned into a Serpent.

6 His hand is leprous.

10 He is loath to bee sent.

14 Aaron is appointed to assist him.

18 Moses departeth from Iethro.

21 Gods message to Pharaoh.

24 Zipporah circumciseth her sonne.

27 Aaron is sent to meet Moses.

31 The people beleeueth them.

[Moses his signes.]

1 And Moses answered, and said, But behold, they will not beleeue mee, nor hearken vnto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared vnto thee.

2 And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hand? and hee said, A rod.

3 And 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.

4 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the taile: And he put foorth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they may beleeue that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Iacob hath appeared vnto thee.

6 And the Lord said furthermore vnto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosome. And he put his hand into his bosome: and when hee tooke it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snowe.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosome againe. And hee put his hand into his bosome againe, and plucked it out of his bosome, and behold, it was turned againe as his other flesh.

8 And it shall come to passe, if they wil not beleeue thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first signe, that they will beleeue the voice of the latter signe.

9 And it shall come to passe, if they will not beleeue also these two signes, neither hearken vnto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the riuer, and powre it vpon the drie land: and the water which thou takest out of the riuer, [Note: Hebrew: shalbe and shall be.] shall become blood vpon the drie land.

10 And Moses saide vnto the Lord, O my lord, I am not [Note: Hebrew: a man of words.] eloquent, neither heretofore, nor [Note: Hebrew: since yesterday nor since the third day.] since thou hast spoken vnto thy seruant: but I am slow of speach, and of a slow tongue.

11 And the Lord said vnto him, Who hath made mans mouth? or who maketh the dumbe or deafe, or the seeing, or ye blind? haue not I the Lord ?

[Moses and Aaron goe to Pharaoh.]

12 Now therefore goe, and I will be [Note: Matthew 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11.] with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou [Note: Or, shouldest.] wilt send.

14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and hee said, Is not Aaron the Leuite thy brother? I know that he can speake well. And also behold, he commeth foorth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, hee will be glad in his heart.

15 And thou shalt speake vnto him, and put words in his mouth, and I wil be with thy mouth, & with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall doe.

16 And he shal be thy spokesman vnto the people: and he shall be, euen hee shall be to thee in stead of a mouth, and [Note: Exodus 7:1.] thou shalt be to him in stead of God.

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt doe signes.

18 And Moses went and returned to Iethro his father in law, and said vnto him, Let me goe, I pray thee, and returne vnto my brethren, which are in Egypt, and see whether they bee yet aliue. And Iethro said to Moses, Goe in peace.

19 And the Lord said vnto Moses in Midian, Goe, returne into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses tooke his wife, and his sonnes, and set them vpon an asse, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said vnto Moses, When thou goest to returne into Egypt, see that thou doe all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I haue put in thine hand: but I wil harden his heart, that hee shall not let the people goe.

22 And thou shalt say vnto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my sonne, euen my first borne.

23 And I say vnto thee, let my sonne goe, that he may serue mee: and if thou refuse to let him goe, behold, I will slay thy sonne, euen thy first borne.

24 And it came to passe by the way in the Inne, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah tooke a sharpe [Note: Or, knife.] stone, and cut off the foreskinne of her

[Moses and Aaron goe to Pharaoh.]

sonne, and [Note: Hebrew: made it touch.] cast it at his feete, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to mee.

26 So he let him goe: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the Circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Goe into the wildernesse to meete Moses. And hee went and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses tolde Aaron all the wordes of the Lord, who had sent him, and all the signes which hee had commanded him.

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

30 And Aaron spake all the wordes which the Lord had spoken vnto Moses, and did the signes in the sight of the people.

31 And the people beleeued: And when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked vpon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.