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Exodus 4-6
Contemporary English Version

The Lord Gives Great Power to Moses

4 Moses asked the Lord, “Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?”

2 The Lord answered, “What's that in your hand?”

“A walking stick,” Moses replied.

3 “Throw it down!” the Lord commanded. So Moses threw the stick on the ground. It immediately turned into a snake, and Moses jumped back.

4 “Pick it up by the tail!” the Lord told him. And when Moses did this, the snake turned back into a walking stick.

5 “Do this,” the Lord said, “and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

6 Next, the Lord commanded Moses, “Put your hand inside your shirt.” Moses obeyed, and when he took it out, his hand had turned white as snow—like someone with leprosy.[a]

7 “Put your hand back inside your shirt,” the Lord told him. Moses did so, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

8-9 Then the Lord said, “If no one believes either of these miracles, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground. The water will immediately turn into blood.”

10 Moses replied, “I have never been a good speaker. I wasn't one before you spoke to me, and I'm not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say.”

11 But the Lord answered, “Who makes people able to speak or makes them deaf or unable to speak? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Don't you know that I am the one who does these things? 12 Now go! When you speak, I will be with you and give you the words to say.”

13 Moses begged, “Lord, please send someone else to do it.”

14 The Lord became angry with Moses and said:

What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know he is a good speaker. He is already on his way here to visit you, and he will be happy to see you again. 15-16 Aaron will speak to the people for you, and you will be like me, telling Aaron what to say. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will tell each of you what to do. 17 Now take this walking stick and use it to perform miracles.

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Moses went to his father-in-law Jethro and asked, “Please let me return to Egypt to see if any of my people are still alive.”

“All right,” Jethro replied. “I hope all goes well.”

19 But even before this, the Lord had told Moses, “Leave the land of Midian and return to Egypt. Everyone who wanted to kill you is now dead.” 20 So Moses put his wife and sons on donkeys and headed for Egypt, holding the walking stick that had the power of God.

21 On the way the Lord said to Moses:

When you get to Egypt, go to the king and work the miracles I have shown you. But I will make him so stubborn that he will refuse to let my people go. 22 Then tell him that I have said, “Israel is my first-born son, 23 (A) and I commanded you to release him, so he could worship me. But you refused, and now I will kill your first-born son.”

Zipporah's Son Is Circumcised

24 One night while Moses was in camp, the Lord was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah[b] circumcised her son with a flint knife. She touched his[c] legs with the skin she had cut off and said, “My dear son, this blood will protect you.”[d] 26 So the Lord did not harm Moses. Then Zipporah said, “Yes, my dear, you are safe because of this circumcision.”[e]

Aaron Is Sent To Meet Moses

27 The Lord sent Aaron to meet Moses in the desert. So Aaron met Moses at Mount Sinai[f] and greeted him with a kiss. 28 Moses told Aaron what God had sent him to say; he also told him about the miracles God had given him the power to perform.

29 Later they brought together the leaders of Israel, 30 and Aaron told them what the Lord had sent Moses to say. Then Moses worked the miracles for the people, 31 and everyone believed. They bowed down and worshiped the Lord because they knew that he had seen their suffering and was going to help them.

Moses and Aaron Go to the King of Egypt

5 Moses and Aaron went to the king[g] of Egypt and told him, “The Lord God says, ‘Let my people go into the desert, so they can honor me with a celebration there.’ ”

2 “Who is this Lord and why should I obey him?” the king replied. “I refuse to let you and your people go!”

3 They answered, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don't, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war.”

4-5 The king said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!”

6 That same day the king gave orders to his Egyptian slave bosses and to the Israelite men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:

7 Don't give the slaves any more straw[h] to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can, 8 but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God. 9 Make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen to these lies.

10 The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, “The king says he will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and find your own straw wherever you can, but you must still make as many bricks as before.”

12 The slaves went all over Egypt, looking for straw. 13 But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, “Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14 The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, “Why didn't you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?”

15 Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and said, “Why are you treating us like this? 16 No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.”

17 The king replied, “You are lazy—nothing but lazy! That's why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your Lord. 18 Get back to work! You won't be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.”

19 The men knew they were in deep trouble when they were ordered to make the same number of bricks each day. 20 After they left the king, they went to see Moses and Aaron, who had been waiting for them. 21 Then the men said, “We hope the Lord will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us.”

The Lord's Promise to Moses

22 Moses left them and prayed, “Our Lord, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here? 23 Ever since you told me to speak to the king,[i] he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven't done a thing to help.”

6 The Lord God told Moses:

Soon you will see what I will do to the king. Because of my mighty power, he will let my people go, and he will even chase them out of his country.

2 (B) My name is the Lord.[j] 3 But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I came as God All-Powerful and did not use my name. 4 I made an agreement and promised them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. 5 Now I have seen how the people of Israel are suffering because of the Egyptians, and I will keep my promise.

6 Here is my message for Israel: “I am the Lord! And with my mighty power I will punish the Egyptians and free you from slavery. 7 I will accept you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I was the one who rescued you from the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it will be yours. I am the Lord!”

9 When Moses told this to the Israelites, they were too discouraged and mistreated to believe him.

10 Then the Lord told Moses 11 to demand that the king of Egypt let the Israelites leave. 12 But Moses replied, “I'm not a powerful speaker. If the Israelites won't listen to me, why should the king of Egypt?” 13 But the Lord sent Aaron and Moses with a message for the Israelites and for the king. He also ordered Aaron and Moses to free the people from Egypt.

Family Record of Aaron and Moses

14 The following men were the heads of their ancestral clans:

The sons of Reuben, Jacob's[k] oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

16 (C) Levi lived to be 137; his sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

17 Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei.

18 Kohath lived to be 133; his sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

19 Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. All of the above were from the Levi tribe.

20 Amram lived to be 137. He married his father's sister Jochebed, and they had two sons, Aaron and Moses.

21 Izhar's sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 Uzziel's sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon; they had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 Korah's sons were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph.

25 Aaron's son Eleazar married one of Putiel's daughters, and their son was Phinehas. This ends the list of those who were the heads of clans in the Levi tribe.

26 The Lord had commanded Aaron and Moses to lead every family and tribe of Israel out of Egypt, 27 and so they told the king of Egypt to set the people of Israel free.

The Lord Commands Moses and Aaron To Speak to the King

28 When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 he said, “I am the Lord. Tell the king[l] of Egypt everything I say to you.”

30 But Moses answered, “You know I am a very poor speaker, and the king will never listen to me.”

Footnotes

  1. 4.6 leprosy: The word translated “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
  2. 4.25 Zipporah: The wife of Moses (see 2.16-21).
  3. 4.25 his: Either Moses or the boy.
  4. 4.25 My dear son … you: Or “My dear husband, you are a man of blood” (meaning Moses).
  5. 4.26 you are … circumcision: Or “you are a man of blood.”
  6. 4.27 Mount Sinai: Hebrew “the mountain of God.”
  7. 5.1 the king: See the note at 1.11.
  8. 5.7 straw: The straw made the mud bricks stronger and kept them from shrinking, cracking, or losing their shape.
  9. 5.23 the king: See the note at 1.11.
  10. 6.2 My name is the Lord: See the note at 3.14,15.
  11. 6.14 Jacob: The Hebrew text has “Israel,” Jacob's name after God renamed him.
  12. 6.29 the king: See the note at 1.11.
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Exodus 4-6
New International Version

Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen(A) to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,”(B) he replied.

3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,(C) and he ran from it. 4 Then 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(D) 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.”

6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[a]—it had become as white as snow.(E)

7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored,(F) like the rest of his flesh.

8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe(G) you or pay attention to the first sign,(H) they may believe the second. 9 But 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(I) on the ground.”

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”(J)

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?(K) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?(L) Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go;(M) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”(N)

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”(O)

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned(P) 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(Q) you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;(R) I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth(S) and as if you were God to him.(T) 17 But take this staff(U) in your hand(V) so you can perform the signs(W) with it.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

19 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill(X) you are dead.(Y)” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons,(Z) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff(AA) of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders(AB) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart(AC) so that he will not let the people go.(AD) 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,(AE) 23 and I told you, “Let my son go,(AF) so he may worship(AG) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”(AH)

24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses[b] and was about to kill(AI) him. 25 But Zipporah(AJ) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin(AK) and touched Moses’ feet with it.[c] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain(AL) of God and kissed(AM) him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders(AN) of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs(AO) before the people, 31 and they believed.(AP) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned(AQ) about them and had seen their misery,(AR) they bowed down and worshiped.(AS)

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,(AT) so that they may hold a festival(AU) to me in the wilderness.’”

2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,(AV) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”(AW)

3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey(AX) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues(AY) or with the sword.”

4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?(AZ) Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,(BA) and you are stopping them from working.”

6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers(BB) and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;(BC) let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.(BD) They are lazy;(BE) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’(BF) 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

10 Then the slave drivers(BG) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced(BH) at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,(BI) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!(BJ) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work.(BK) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

19 The 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.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge(BL) you! You have made us obnoxious(BM) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword(BN) in their hand to kill us.”(BO)

God Promises Deliverance

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(BP) Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued(BQ) your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand(BR) he will let them go;(BS) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(BT)

2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(BU) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[d](BV) but by my name(BW) the Lord[e](BX) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(BY) with them to give them the land(BZ) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(CA) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(CB) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(CC)

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(CD) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(CE) you with an outstretched arm(CF) and with mighty acts of judgment.(CG) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(CH) Then you will know(CI) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land(CJ) I swore(CK) with uplifted hand(CL) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(CM) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(CN)

9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.(CO)

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell(CP) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”(CQ)

12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen(CR) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[f]?”(CS)

Family Record of Moses and Aaron

13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.(CT)

14 These were the heads of their families[g]:(CU)

The sons of Reuben(CV) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon(CW) were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

16 These were the names of the sons of Levi(CX) according to their records: Gershon,(CY) Kohath and Merari.(CZ) Levi lived 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(DA)

18 The sons of Kohath(DB) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(DC) Kohath lived 133 years.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(DD)

These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

20 Amram(DE) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(DF) Amram lived 137 years.

21 The sons of Izhar(DG) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(DH) and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(DI) and sister of Nahshon,(DJ) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(DK) Eleazar(DL) and Ithamar.(DM)

24 The sons of Korah(DN) were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.

25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.(DO)

These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt(DP) by their divisions.”(DQ) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(DR) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(DS)

Aaron to Speak for Moses

28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord.(DT) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,(DU) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Exodus 4:24 Hebrew him
  3. Exodus 4:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  4. Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  5. Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
  6. Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
  7. Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
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