Parallel Bible results for "exodus 4"

Exodus 4

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Then Moses answered, "But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, "The Lord did not appear to you.' "

2 The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff."

3 And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it.

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Reach out your hand, and seize it by the tail"—so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand—

5 "so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

6 Again, the Lord said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." He put his hand into his cloak; and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7 Then God said, "Put your hand back into your cloak"—so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his body—

8 "If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign.

9 If they will not believe even these two signs or heed you, 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 said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

11 Then the Lord said to him, "Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

12 Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak."

13 But he said, "O my Lord, please send someone else."

14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad.

15 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 what you shall do.

16 He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him.

17 Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."

18 Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, "Please let me go back to my kindred in Egypt and see whether they are still living." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt; for all those who were seeking your life are dead."

20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt; and Moses carried the staff of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders 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 shall say to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.

23 I said to you, "Let my son go that he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son.' "

24 On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him.

25 But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, and said, "Truly you are a bridegroom of blood to me!"

26 So he let him alone. It was then she said, "A bridegroom of blood by circumcision."

27 The Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went; and he met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.

28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had charged him.

29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites.

30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people.

31 The people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Moses objected, "They won't trust me. They won't listen to a word I say. They're going to say, 'God? Appear to him? Hardly!'"

2 So God said, "What's that in your hand?" "A staff."

3 "Throw it on the ground." He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back - fast!

4 God said to Moses, "Reach out and grab it by the tail." He reached out and grabbed it - and he was holding his staff again.

5 "That's so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

6 God then said, "Put your hand inside your shirt." He slipped his hand under his shirt, then took it out. His hand had turned leprous, like snow.

7 He said, "Put your hand back under your shirt." He did it, then took it back out - as healthy as before.

8 "So if they don't trust you and aren't convinced by the first sign, the second sign should do it.

9 But if it doesn't, if even after these two signs they don't trust you and listen to your message, take some water out of the Nile and pour it out on the dry land; the Nile water that you pour out will turn to blood when it hits the ground."

10 Moses raised another objection to God: "Master, please, I don't talk well. I've never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer."

11 God said, "And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn't it I, God?

12 So, get going. I'll be right there with you - with your mouth! I'll be right there to teach you what to say."

13 He said, "Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!"

14 God got angry with Moses: "Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad.

15 You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step.

16 He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it.

17 Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to do the signs."

18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said, "I need to return to my relatives who are in Egypt. I want to see if they're still alive." Jethro said, "Go. And peace be with you."

19 God said to Moses in Midian: "Go. Return to Egypt. All the men who wanted to kill you are dead."

20 So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey for the return trip to Egypt. He had a firm grip on the staff of God.

21 God said to Moses, "When you get back to Egypt, be prepared: All the wonders that I will do through you, you'll do before Pharaoh. But I will make him stubborn so that he will refuse to let the people go.

22 Then you are to tell Pharaoh, 'God's Message: Israel is my son, my firstborn!

23 I told you, "Free my son so that he can serve me." But you refused to free him. So now I'm going to kill your son, your firstborn.'"

24 On the journey back, as they camped for the night, God met Moses and would have killed him but

25 Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' member with it. She said, "Oh! You're a bridegroom of blood to me!"

26 Then God let him go. She used the phrase "bridegroom of blood" because of the circumcision.

27 God spoke to Aaron, "Go and meet Moses in the wilderness." He went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.

28 Moses told Aaron the message that God had sent him to speak and the wonders he had commanded him to do.

29 So Moses and Aaron proceeded to round up all the leaders of Israel.

30 Aaron told them everything that God had told Moses and demonstrated the wonders before the people.

31 And the people trusted and listened believingly that God was concerned with what was going on with the Israelites and knew all about their affliction. They bowed low and they worshiped.