Exodus 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Exodus 4 ▼
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1 Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh 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 Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “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 He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and 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 Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.” He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod 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 “This is so that they may 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.” “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 Yahweh said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white 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 He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.” He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his 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 “It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice 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 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.” 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 to Yahweh, “O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow 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 Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? 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 therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall 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 Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
14 Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his 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 You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall 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 be your spokesman to the people. It will happen that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as 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 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall 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 and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” Jethro said to 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 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life 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 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod 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 Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will 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 You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, 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 and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me;” and you have refused to let him go. Behold, 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 On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted 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 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely 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 So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” 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 Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went, and met him on God’s mountain, 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 Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 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 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders 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 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did 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 The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and 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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