Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
English Standard Version ESV
1 Then Moses answered, "What if they won't believe me and will not obey me but say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"
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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. ’”
2 The Lord asked him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
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The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand? ” He said, “A staff. ”
3 Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it,
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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.
4 but 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.
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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—
5 "This will take place," He continued, "so they will 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."
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“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 In 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, like snow.
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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.
7 Then 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.
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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.
8 "If 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.
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“If they will not believe you, ” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
9 And 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."
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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. ”
10 But 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."
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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. ”
11 The Lord said to him, "Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
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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?
12 Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say."
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Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. ”
13 Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else."
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But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. ”
14 Then 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. When he sees you, his heart will rejoice.
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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.
15 You 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.
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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.
16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him.
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He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
17 And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with."
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And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs. ”
18 Then 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."
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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. ”
19 Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, "Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
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And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead. ”
20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and set out for the land of Egypt. And Moses took God's staff in his hand.
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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.
21 The Lord instructed Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do in front of Pharaoh all the wonders I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won't let the people go.
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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.
22 Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord says: Israel is My firstborn son.
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Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
23 I 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!"
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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. ’”
24 On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death.
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At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
25 So 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!"
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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! ”
26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision.
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So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood, ” because of the circumcision.
27 Now 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.
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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.
28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him [to do].
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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.
29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites.
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Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.
30 Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people.
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Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31 The 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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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.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025