Exodus 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Exodus 4 ▼
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English Standard Version
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1 Responding, Moses said, “They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
2 Therefore, he said to him, “What is that you hold in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
3 And the Lord said, “Cast it down upon the ground.” He cast it down, and it was turned into a snake, so that Moses fled away. And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4 And the Lord said, “Reach out your hand, and take hold of its tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold, and it was turned into a staff. But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 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 “So may they believe,” he said, “that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” “that they may believe 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.” “This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe 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 And the Lord said again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, resembling snow. Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 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 —it had become as white as snow.
7 “Put your hand back,” he said, “into your bosom.” He put it back and brought it out again, and it was like the rest of his flesh. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “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, like the rest of his flesh.
8 “If they will not believe you,” he said, “and will not listen to the sermon of the first sign, then they will believe the word of the subsequent sign. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.
9 But if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice: take from the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and whatever you will have drawn from the river will be turned into blood.” If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 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 on the ground.”
10 Moses said: “I beg you, O Lord, I was not eloquent yesterday or the day before. And from the time that you have spoken to your servant, I have a greater impediment and slowness of tongue.” But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 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.”
11 The Lord said to him: “Who made the mouth of man? And who has formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I? Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
12 Go on, therefore, and I will be in your mouth. And I will teach you what you shall say.” Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
13 But he said, “I beg you, O Lord, send whomever else you would send.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
14 The Lord, being angry at Moses, said: “Aaron the Levite is your brother. I know that he is eloquent. Behold, he is going out to meet you, and seeing you, he will rejoice in heart. Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Then the LORD’s anger burned 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 you, and he will be glad to see you.
15 Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth. And I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will reveal to you what you must do. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16 He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth. But you will be with him in those things that pertain to God. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
17 Also, take this staff into your hand; with it you will accomplish the signs.” And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
18 Moses went forth, and he returned to Jethro, his father in law, and he said to him, “I shall go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to him, “Go in peace.” Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 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 And so the Lord said to Moses in Midian: “Go, and return to Egypt. For all those who sought your life have died.” And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.”
20 Therefore, Moses took his wife and his sons, and he placed them upon a donkey, and he returned into Egypt, carrying the staff of God in his hand. So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said to him, as he was returning to Egypt: “See that you accomplish, in the sight of Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have placed in your hand. I will harden his heart, and he will not release the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22 And you shall say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
23 I have said to you: Release my son, so that he may serve me. And you were not willing to release him. Behold, I will put to death your firstborn son.’ ” and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 And while he was on the journey, at an inn, the Lord met him, and he was willing to kill him. At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.
25 For this reason, Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “You are a bloody spouse to me.” Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
26 And he released him, after she had said, “You are a bloody spouse,” because of the circumcision. So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
27 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” And he went directly to meet him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him. The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28 And Moses explained to Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs which he had commanded. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 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 And they arrived at the same time, and they gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses. And he accomplished the signs in the sight of the people, Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
31 and the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had looked with favor upon their affliction. And falling prostrate, they worshiped. And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
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