Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen^(A) to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

² Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,”^(B) he replied.

³ The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,^(C) and he ran from it. ⁴ 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,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe^(D) 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 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^[a]—it had become as white as snow.^(E)

⁷ “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,^(F) like the rest of his flesh.

⁸ Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe^(G) you or pay attention to the first sign,^(H) they may believe the second. ⁹ 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^(I) on the ground.”

¹⁰ 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.”^(J)

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?^(K) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?^(L) Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go;^(M) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”^(N)

¹³ But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”^(O)

¹⁴ Then the Lord’s anger burned^(P) 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^(Q) you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;^(R) I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth^(S) and as if you were God to him.^{(T) 17} But take this staff^(U) in your hand^(V) so you can perform the signs^(W) with it.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ 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 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill^(X) you are dead.^(Y)” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons,^(Z) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff^(AA) of God in his hand.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders^(AB) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart^(AC) so that he will not let the people go.^{(AD) 22} Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,^{(AE) 23} and I told you, “Let my son go,^(AF) so he may worship^(AG) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”^(AH)

²⁴ At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses^[b] and was about to kill^(AI) him. ²⁵ But Zipporah^(AJ) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin^(AK) and touched Moses’ feet with it.^[c] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. ²⁶ So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain^(AL) of God and kissed^(AM) him. ²⁸ 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 brought together all the elders^(AN) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(AO) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(AP) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(AQ) about them and had seen their misery,^(AR) they bowed down and worshiped.^(AS)

Jethro Visits Moses

18 Now Jethro,^(A) the priest of Midian^(B) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.^(C)

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,^(D) his father-in-law Jethro received her ³ and her two sons.^(E) One son was named Gershom,^[a] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;^{(F) 4} and the other was named Eliezer,^[b](G) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;^(H) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain^(I) of God. ⁶ Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down^(J) and kissed^(K) him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships^(L) they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved^(M) them.

⁹ Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things^(N) the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ He said, “Praise be to the Lord,^(O) who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,^(P) for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”^{(Q) 12} Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,^(R) brought a burnt offering^(S) and other sacrifices^(T) to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal^(U) with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence^(V) of God.

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.^{(W) 16} Whenever they have a dispute,^(X) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”^(Y)

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.^{(Z) 19} Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.^(AA) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes^(AB) to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions,^(AC) and show them the way they are to live^(AD) and how they are to behave.^{(AE) 21} But select capable men^(AF) from all the people—men who fear^(AG) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain^(AH)—and appoint them as officials^(AI) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case^(AJ) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share^(AK) it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders^(AL) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.^{(AM) 26} They served as judges^(AN) for the people at all times. The difficult cases^(AO) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.^(AP)

²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.^(AQ)

At Mount Sinai

19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt^(A)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.^{(B) 2} After they set out from Rephidim,^(C) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.^(D)

³ Then Moses went up to God,^(E) and the Lord called^(F) to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,^(G) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings^(H) and brought you to myself.^{(I) 5} Now if you obey me fully^(J) and keep my covenant,^(K) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.^(L) Although the whole earth^(M) is mine, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests^(N) and a holy nation.’^(O) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders^(P) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.^{(Q) 8} The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”^(R) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,^(S) so that the people will hear me speaking^(T) with you and will always put their trust^(U) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate^(V) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes^{(W) 11} and be ready by the third day,^(X) because on that day the Lord will come down^(Y) on Mount Sinai^(Z) in the sight of all the people. ¹² Put limits^(AA) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. ¹³ They are to be stoned^(AB) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn^(AC) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”^(AD)

¹⁴ After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.^{(AE) 15} Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain^(AF) from sexual relations.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder^(AG) and lightning, with a thick cloud^(AH) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.^(AI) Everyone in the camp trembled.^{(AJ) 17} Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.^{(AK) 18} Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,^(AL) because the Lord descended on it in fire.^(AM) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,^(AN) and the whole mountain^[b] trembled^(AO) violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice^(AP) of God answered^(AQ) him.^[c]

²⁰ The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai^(AR) and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up ²¹ and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see^(AS) the Lord and many of them perish.^{(AT) 22} Even the priests, who approach^(AU) the Lord, must consecrate^(AV) themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”^(AW)

²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,^(AX) because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits^(AY) around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

²⁴ The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron^(AZ) up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”^(BA)

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.