Exodus 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Exodus 4 ▼
swipe to see more →
DRB
Douay-Rheims Bible
ESV
English Standard Version
NIV
New International Version
+Add
1 Moses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee. 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 Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod. 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 serpent: so that Moses fled from it. 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: Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod. 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 That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee. “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 thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as 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 And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other 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 thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter 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 even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river shall 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 beseech thee, Lord. I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before: and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more 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 man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did 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 therefore and I will be in thy mouth: and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak. 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 beseech thee, Lord send whom thou wilt 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 thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee shall be glad at 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 thy mouth, and in his mouth, and will shew 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 shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to 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 And take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do 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 his way, and returned to Jethro his father in law and said to him: I will go and return to my brethren into Egypt, that I may see if they be yet 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 the Lord said to Moses, in Madian: Go, and return into Egypt: for they are all dead that sought thy life. 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 Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass: and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod 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 into Egypt: See that thou do all the wonders before Pharao, which I have put in thy hand: I shall harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 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 thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn. 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 thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn. 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 when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed 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 Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the fore skin of her son, and touched his feet and said: A bloody spouse art thou 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 let him go after she had said A bloody spouse art thou to me, 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 And the Lord said to Aaron: Go into the desert to meet Moses. And he went forth to meet him in the mountain of God, and 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 told Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs that 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 came together, and they assembled all the ancients of the children 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 wrought the signs before 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 children of Israel: and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored. 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.
Previous chapter
Top of Page
Top of Page