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.”^(A)

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

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

¹⁴ Then the Lord’s anger burned^(G) 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^(H) you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;^(I) 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^(J) and as if you were God to him.^{(K) 17} But take this staff^(L) in your hand^(M) so you can perform the signs^(N) 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^(O) you are dead.^(P)” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons,^(Q) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff^(R) of God in his hand.

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain^(A) of God and kissed^(B) 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^(C) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(D) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(E) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(F) about them and had seen their misery,^(G) they bowed down and worshiped.^(H)