Exodus 4:10-23

English Standard Version

¹⁰ 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 ^(A)I am slow of speech and of tongue.” ¹¹ 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 therefore go, and ^(B)I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” ¹³ But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” ¹⁴ 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, ^(C)he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ^15 (D)You shall speak to him and ^(E)put the words in his mouth, and ^(F)I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. ^16 (G)He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and ^(H)you shall be as God to him. ¹⁷ And take in your hand ^(I)this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Moses went back to ^(J)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 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for ^(K)all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took ^(L)his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took ^(M)the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the ^(N)miracles that I have put in your power. But ^(O)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, ^(P)Israel is my ^(Q)firstborn son, ²³ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I ^(R)will kill your firstborn son.’”