上帝赐摩西能力

摩西回答说:“他们不会相信我或听我的话,他们会说,‘耶和华根本没有向你显现。’” 耶和华对摩西说:“你手里拿的是什么?”摩西说:“是一根手杖。” 耶和华说:“把它丢在地上!”于是,摩西把杖丢在地上,杖变成了一条蛇。摩西连忙跑开。 耶和华说:“你伸手抓住它的尾巴!”摩西就伸手抓蛇的尾巴,蛇在他手中变回了杖。 耶和华说:“这样,他们就会相信他们祖先的上帝耶和华,就是亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的上帝,曾经向你显现。”

耶和华又说:“把手放进怀里。”摩西把手放进怀里,手抽出来的时候,竟患了麻风病,像雪一样白。 耶和华说:“再把手放进怀里。”摩西又把手放进怀里,这次再抽出来的时候,手已经复原,跟其他地方的皮肉一样。 耶和华说:“纵然他们不听你的话,不信第一个神迹,也必定相信第二个神迹。 如果他们两个神迹都不相信,还是不听你的话,你就从尼罗河里取些水来倒在旱地上,那水就会在旱地上变成血。”

10 摩西对耶和华说:“主啊!我向来不善言辞,即使你对仆人说话以后,我还是不善言辞,因为我是个拙口笨舌的人。” 11 耶和华对他说:“是谁造人的口舌?是谁使人变成哑巴或聋子?是谁使人目明或眼瞎?不都是我耶和华吗? 12 去吧!我必赐给你口才,指示你说什么话。” 13 但是摩西说:“主啊,请派其他人去吧。” 14 耶和华向摩西发怒说:“利未人亚伦不是你哥哥吗?他是个能言善辨的人,正要来迎接你。他见到你一定很欢喜。 15 你要把该说的话传给他,我会赐你们口才,教你们如何行事。 16 他要替你向百姓说话,做你的发言人,你对他来说就像上帝一样。 17 你要把手杖带在身边,以便行神迹。”

18 摩西回到家里,对他的岳父叶忒罗说:“求你让我回埃及去探望我的亲人,看看他们是否在世。”叶忒罗说:“你平安地去吧。” 19 耶和华在米甸对摩西说:“你只管放心回埃及去,想害你性命的人都已经死了。” 20 于是,摩西拿着上帝的杖,带着妻子和儿子骑驴返回埃及。 21 耶和华对摩西说:“你到了埃及,见到法老的时候,务要照我赐给你的能力在法老面前行神迹。但我要使他的心刚硬,他必不让百姓离开。 22 那时,你就告诉法老,‘耶和华说,以色列是我的长子, 23 我对你说过让我的长子出去事奉我,但你执意不肯。看啊,我要杀你的长子。’”

24 摩西在途中夜宿的时候,耶和华遇见摩西,想要杀他。 25 他的妻子西坡拉拿起锋利的火石,割下儿子的包皮,放在摩西脚前,说:“你真是我的血郎。” 26 这样,耶和华才没杀他。当时,西坡拉说“血郎”是指割礼一事。

27 耶和华对亚伦说:“你到旷野去迎接摩西。”他就在上帝的山上遇见摩西,并亲吻他。 28 摩西把耶和华吩咐他的以及要他行的神迹都告诉了亚伦。 29 摩西和亚伦一起回去招聚以色列的众长老, 30 亚伦把耶和华对摩西的吩咐详细地告诉他们。摩西又在百姓面前行了那些神迹, 31 百姓相信了。以色列人听见耶和华眷顾他们、看到了他们的苦难,都俯伏敬拜祂。

If They Will Not Believe These Signs

Then Moses answered and said, “What if they will not believe me and will not (A)listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘(B)Yahweh has not appeared to you.’” And Yahweh said to him, “What is this in your hand?” And he said, “(C)A staff.” Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and (D)it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his [a]hand— “that (E)they may believe that (F)Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

And Yahweh furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom; then he took it out, and behold, his hand was (G)leprous like snow. Then He said, “Return your hand into your bosom.” So he returned his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, (H)it returned to being like the rest of his flesh. “And so it will be, if they will not believe you or listen to the [b]witness of the first sign, they may believe the [c]witness of [d]this last sign. But if it will be that they will not believe even these two signs and that they will not listen to your voice, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry land; and the water which you take from the Nile (I)will become blood on the dry land.”

Aaron to Speak for Moses

10 Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Please, Lord, (J)I have never been a man of words, neither [e]recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your slave; for I am one with a [f]hard mouth and a [g]hard tongue.” 11 And Yahweh said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or (K)who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? 12 So now, go, and (L)I, even I, will be with your mouth and will (M)instruct you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Please, Lord, [h]send now the message by whomever You will.” 14 Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that [i]he can certainly speak. And moreover, behold, (N)he is coming out to meet you. And he will see you and be glad in his heart. 15 And you are to speak to him and (O)put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will instruct [j]you in what you shall do. 16 Moreover, (P)he shall speak for you to the people; and he will become as a mouth for you, and you will become as God to him. 17 And you shall take in your hand (Q)this staff, (R)with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Then Moses went and returned to [k]Jethro (S)his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for (T)all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his (U)sons and mounted them on a donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the (V)staff of God in his hand.

21 And Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go to return to Egypt, see to it that all (W)the miraculous wonders which I have put in your hand, that you do them before Pharaoh; but as for Me, (X)I will [l]harden his heart with strength so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “(Y)Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, ‘(Z)Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, (AA)I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

24 Now it happened at the lodging place on the way that Yahweh encountered him and (AB)sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took (AC)a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched [m]his feet with it, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” with reference to the circumcision.

27 (AD)Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and encountered him at the (AE)mountain of God and kissed him. 28 (AF)And Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh with which He had sent him, and (AG)all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and (AH)gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30 and (AI)Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He then did the (AJ)signs in the sight of the people. 31 So (AK)the people believed; and they heard that Yahweh [n](AL)cared about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction. So (AM)they bowed low and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 4:4 Lit palm
  2. Exodus 4:8 Lit voice, cf. 4:9
  3. Exodus 4:8 Lit voice, cf. 4:9
  4. Exodus 4:8 Lit the
  5. Exodus 4:10 Lit yesterday
  6. Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy
  7. Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy
  8. Exodus 4:13 Lit send by the hand which You send
  9. Exodus 4:14 Lit speaking he speaks
  10. Exodus 4:15 Lit you (plural)
  11. Exodus 4:18 Heb Jether
  12. Exodus 4:21 Lit strengthen
  13. Exodus 4:25 Moses’ feet
  14. Exodus 4:31 Lit had visited

Miraculous Signs for Moses

Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear(A) to you’?”

The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, 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. “This will take place,” He continued, “so they will 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.”(B)

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, white as snow.[a](C) Then He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out,[b] it had again become like the rest of his skin.(D) “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. 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.”(E)

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[c]—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”[d](F)

11 Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?(G) 12 Now go! I will help[e] you speak and I will teach you what to say.”(H)

13 Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”[f]

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. He will rejoice when he sees you. 15 You will speak with him and tell him what to say.(I) I will help[g] both you and him to speak 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. 17 And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”(J)

Moses’ Return to Egypt

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.”

19 Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”(K) 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff(L) in his hand.

21 The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart[h](M) so that he won’t let the people go. 22 Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son.(N) 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!”(O)

24 On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted 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.[i] Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!”(P) 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.[j]

Reunion of Moses and Aaron

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.(Q) 28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention(R) to them and that He had seen their misery,(S) they bowed down and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 4:6 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin
  2. Exodus 4:7 Lit out of his cloak
  3. Exodus 4:10 = Moses
  4. Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue
  5. Exodus 4:12 Lit will be with you
  6. Exodus 4:13 Lit send by the hand of whom You will send
  7. Exodus 4:15 Lit be with
  8. Exodus 4:21 Or will make him stubborn
  9. Exodus 4:25 Some interpret “feet” as a euphemism for genitals.
  10. Exodus 4:26 Zipporah appeased God on Moses’ behalf by circumcising Gershom.

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?

12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

30 And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.