THE SECOND BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
E X O D U S
Exodus 4 ©
Moses is encouraged by the changing of his rod into a serpent, vs. 1, etc. And by the leprosy of his hand, 6. As also by the changing of the water into blood, 9. Moses makes objection to go to Pharaoh, 10. Provoking God to anger thereby, Who appoints Aaron to be his spokesman, 14. Jethro gives leave to Moses to return to Egypt, 18. The LORD tells Moses what he is to do and speak to Pharaoh, 21. The LORD is ready to slay Moses by the way, 24. Zipporah circumcises her son, 25. God sends Aaron to meet Moses, 27. They both declare their charge unto the Israelites, 29. And are believed, 31.
AND Moses answered and said, But, behold, 1they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, 2A rod.
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, 3and it became a 4serpent; and Moses 5fled from before it.
And 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 6hand:
That 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.
¶And 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.
And 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.
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken 7to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
And 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 shalla become blood upon the dry land.
¶And Moses said unto the LORD, 8O my Lord, I am not 9eloquent, neither heretofore, 10nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
And the LORD said unto him, Who hath 11made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
Now therefore go, and Ib will be with thy mouth, and 12teach thee what thou shalt say.
And he said, O my LORD, 13send, I pray thee, 14by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I 15know that he can speak well. And also, behold, 16he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
And thouc shalt speak unto him, and put 17words 18in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee 19instead of a mouth, and thou 20shalt be to him instead of God.
And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do 21signs.
¶And 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.
And the LORD 22said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought 23thy life.
And 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 24rod of God in his hand.
And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, 25which I have put in thine hand: but I will 26harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, 27Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
And I 28say 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.
¶And it came to pass 29by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill 30him.
Then Zipporah took 31a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and 32cast it at his feet, and said, 33Surely 34a bloody husband art thou to me.
So 35he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, 36because of the circumcision.
¶And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him 37in the mount of God, and kissed him.
And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
¶And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had 38looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.