Exodus 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Exodus 4 ▼
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1 Then Moses answered, |Look, they won't believe me and they won't listen to me. Instead, they'll say, 'The LORD didn't appear 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 |What's that in your hand?| the LORD asked him. Moses 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 Then God said, |Throw it to the ground.| He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away 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 Then God told Moses, |Reach out and grab its tail.| So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff in his hand. 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 God said, |I've done this so that they may believe that the LORD God of their ancestors—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 Again the LORD told him, |Put your hand into your bosom.| He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like 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 Then God said, |Put your hand back into your bosom.| He returned it to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out, it was restored like the rest of his skin. 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 |Then if they don't believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second 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 don't believe even these two signs, and won't listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River will turn into blood on the dry ground.| 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 Then Moses told the LORD, |Please, LORD, I'm not eloquent. I never was in the past nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly and I have a speech impediment.| 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 Then God asked him, |Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the LORD? 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 Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech, and I'll teach you what you are to 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 Moses said, |Please, LORD, send somebody else.| But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
14 Then the LORD was angry with Moses and said, |There is your brother Aaron, a descendant of Levi, isn't there? I know that he certainly is eloquent. Right now he's coming to meet you and he will be pleased to see you. 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 You're to speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll help both you and him with your speech, and I'll teach both of you what you are to 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 is to speak to the people for you as your spokesman and you are to act in the role of God for him. 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 Now pick up that staff with your hand. You'll use it to perform 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 left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses told him, |Please let me go and return to my own people in Egypt so I can see whether they're still alive.| Jethro told Moses, |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 The LORD told Moses in Midian, |Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.| 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 So Moses took his wife and son, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took 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 Then the LORD told Moses, |When you set out to return to Egypt, keep in mind all the wonders that I've put in your power, so that you may do them before Pharaoh. But I'll harden his heart so that he won't 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 You are to say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: |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 And I say to you, 'Let my son go so he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, then I will kill 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 But later on, at the lodging place along the way, the LORD met Moses and was about 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 Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, saying while doing so, |...because you are a bridegroom of blood 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 Then the LORD withdrew from him, and she said, |...a bridegroom of blood because of 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 The LORD told Aaron, |Go meet Moses in the desert.| So Aaron went, found him at the mountain of God, and embraced 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 Moses told Aaron all of the LORD's messages that he had sent with Moses, and all of the signs that he commanded him to do. 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 Later, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelis. 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 Aaron spoke everything that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Moses performed the miracles before the very eyes 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 The people believed and understood that the LORD had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship. 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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