| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ” | 1Then Moses answered, "What if they won't believe me and will not obey me but say, 'The LORD did not appear to you?" |
| 2So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” | 2The LORD asked him, "What is that in your hand?"" A staff," he replied. |
| 3And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. | 3Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, |
| 4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), | 4but the LORD told him, "Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail." So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. " |
| 5“that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” | 5This will take place," He continued, "so they will 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." |
| 6Furthermore the LORD said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. | 6In addition the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, white as snow. |
| 7And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. | 7Then He said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin." |
| 8“Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. | 8If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. |
| 9And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.” | 9And if they don't believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground." |
| 10Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” | 10But Moses replied to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent--either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant--because I am slow and hesitant in speech." |
| 11So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? | 11Yahweh said to him, "Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? |
| 12Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” | 12Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say." |
| 13But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” | 13Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else." |
| 14So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. | 14Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses, and He said, "Isn't Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. |
| 15Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. | 15You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. |
| 16So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. | 16He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. |
| 17And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” | 17And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with." |
| 18So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” | 18Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, "Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." |
| 19Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” | 19Now in Midian the LORD told Moses, "Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." |
| 20Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. | 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God's staff in his hand. |
| 21And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. | 21The LORD instructed Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won't let the people go. |
| 22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. | 22Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son. |
| 23So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ” | 23I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!" |
| 24And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. | 24On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the LORD confronted him and sought to put him to death. |
| 25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” | 25So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, and threw it at Moses' feet. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me!" |
| 26So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision. | 26So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision. |
| 27And the LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. | 27Now the LORD had said to Aaron, "Go and meet Moses in the wilderness." So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. |
| 28So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. | 28Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. |
| 29Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. | 29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. |
| 30And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. | 30Aaron repeated everything the LORD had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. |
| 31So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. | 31The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. |
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