Exodus 4:18-31

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to my own people in Egypt and see whether they are still living.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who were seeking your life are dead.”^{(A) 20} So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt, and Moses carried the staff of God in his hand.^(B)

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.^{(C) 22} Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.^{(D) 23} I said to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”^(E)

²⁴ On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him.^{(F) 25} But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, touched his feet with it, and said, “Truly you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”^{(G) 26} So he let him alone. It was then that she said “a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went, and he met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.^{(H) 28} Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him and all the signs with which he had charged him.^{(I) 29} Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites.^{(J) 30} Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and performed the signs in the sight of the people.^{(K) 31} The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.^(L)