Exodus 4:18-26

International Children’s Bible

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law. Moses said to him, “Let me go back to my people in Egypt. I want to see if they are still alive.”

Jethro said to Moses, “You may go. Have a safe trip.”

¹⁹ While Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “Go back to Egypt. The men who wanted to kill you are dead now.”

²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey. Then he started back to Egypt. He took with him the walking stick of God.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you get back to Egypt, do all the miracles. I have given you the power to do them. Show them to the king of Egypt. But I will make the king very stubborn. He will not let the people go. ²² Then say to the king: ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. ²³ And I told you to let my son go. Let him go so he may worship me. But you refused to let Israel go. So I will kill your firstborn son.’”

²⁴ As Moses was on his way to Egypt, he stopped at a resting place for the night. The Lord met him there and tried to kill him. ²⁵ But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She took the skin and touched Moses’ feet with it. Then she said to him, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.” ²⁶ Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. So the Lord did not kill Moses.