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Exodus 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 4

1 “But,” objected Moses, “suppose they do not believe me or listen to me? For they may say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him: What is in your hand? “A staff,” he answered. 3 God said: Throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground and it became a snake,(A) and Moses backed away from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses: Now stretch out your hand and take hold of its tail. So he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 That is so they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you.

6 Again the Lord said to him: Put your hand into the fold of your garment. So he put his hand into the fold of his garment, and when he drew it out, there was his hand covered with scales, like snowflakes. 7 Then God said: Put your hand back into the fold of your garment. So he put his hand back into the fold of his garment, and when he drew it out, there it was again like his own flesh. 8 If they do not believe you or pay attention to the message of the first sign, they should believe the message of the second sign. 9 And if they do not believe even these two signs and do not listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry land. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry land.(B)

Aaron’s Office as Assistant. 10 Moses, however, said to the Lord, “If you please, my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and tongue.”(C) 11 The Lord said to him: Who gives one person speech? Who makes another mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go, I will assist you in speaking[a] and teach you what you are to say. 13 But he said, “If you please, my Lord, send someone else!”[b] 14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses and said: I know there is your brother, Aaron the Levite, who is a good speaker; even now he is on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will truly be glad. 15 You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will assist both you and him in speaking and teach you both what you are to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you: he will be your spokesman,[c] and you will be as God to him.(D) 17 Take this staff[d] in your hand; with it you are to perform the signs.

Moses’ Return to Egypt. 18 After this Moses returned to Jethro[e] his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my kindred in Egypt, to see whether they are still living.” Jethro replied to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 Then the Lord said to Moses in Midian: Return to Egypt, for all those who sought your life are dead. 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, mounted them on the donkey, and started back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God with him. 21 The Lord said to Moses: On your return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart[f] and he will not let the people go. 22 (E)So you will say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn. 23 I said to you: Let my son go, that he may serve me. Since you refused to let him go, I will kill your son, your firstborn.(F)

24 [g]On the journey, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord came upon Moses and sought to put him to death. 25 (G)But Zipporah took a piece of flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and, touching his feet,[h] she said, “Surely you are a spouse of blood to me.” 26 So God let Moses alone. At that time she said, “A spouse of blood,” in regard to the circumcision.

27 The Lord said to Aaron: Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went; when meeting him at the mountain of God, he kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and all the signs he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses, and he performed the signs before the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had observed the Israelites and had seen their affliction,[i] they knelt and bowed down.

Footnotes

  1. 4:12 Assist you in speaking: lit., “be with your mouth”; cf. v. 15, lit., “be with your mouth and with his mouth.”
  2. 4:13 Send someone else: lit., “send by means of him whom you will send,” that is, “send whom you will.”
  3. 4:16 Spokesman: lit., “mouth”; Aaron was to serve as a mouthpiece for Moses, as a prophet does for God; hence the relation between Moses and Aaron is compared to that between God and his prophet: Moses “will be as God to,” i.e., lit., “will become God for him.” Cf. 7:1.
  4. 4:17 This staff: probably the same as that of vv. 2–4; but some understand that a new staff is now given by God to Moses.
  5. 4:18 Jethro: the Hebrew text has “Jether,” apparently a variant form of “Jethro” found in the same verse. To see whether they are still living: Moses did not tell his father-in-law his main reason for returning to Egypt.
  6. 4:21 Harden his heart: in the biblical view, the heart, whose actual function in the circulation of blood was unknown, typically performs functions associated today more with the brain than with the emotions. Therefore, while it may be used in connection with various emotional states ranging from joy to sadness, it very commonly designates the seat of intellectual and volitional activities. For God to harden Pharaoh’s heart is to harden his resolve against the Israelites’ desire to leave. In the ancient world, actions which are out of character are routinely attributed not to the person but to some “outside” superhuman power acting upon the person (Jgs 14:16; 1 Sm 16:10). Uncharacteristically negative actions or states are explained in the same way (1 Sm 16:14). In this instance, the opposition of Pharaoh, in the face of God’s displays of power, would be unintelligible to the ancient Israelites unless he is seen as under some divine constraint. But this does not diminish Pharaoh’s own responsibility. In the anthropology of the ancient Israelites there is no opposition between individual responsibility and God’s sovereignty over all of creation. Cf. Rom 9:17–18.
  7. 4:24–26 This story continues to perplex commentators and may have circulated in various forms before finding its place here in Exodus. Particularly troublesome is the unique phrase “spouse of blood.” Nevertheless, v. 26, which apparently comes from the hand of a later commentator on the original story, is intended to offer some clarification. It asserts that when Zipporah used the problematic expression (addressing it either to Moses or her son), she did so with reference to the circumcision performed on her son—the only place in the Bible where this rite is performed by a woman. Whatever the precise meaning of the phrase “spouse of blood,” circumcision is the key to understanding it as well as the entire incident. One may conclude, therefore, that God was angry with Moses for having failed to keep the divine command given to Abraham in Gn 17:10–12 and circumcise his son. Moses’ life is spared when his wife circumcises their son.
  8. 4:25 Touching his feet: a euphemism most probably for the male sexual organ (see 2 Kgs 18:27; Is 7:20); whether the genitals of the child (after Zipporah circumcised him) or of Moses (after the circumcision of his son) is not clear.
  9. 4:31 Observed…their affliction: the same phrases used in God’s dialogue with Moses in 3:16–17.
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2 Moseboken 4
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015

Mose får makt att göra under

4 Mose svarade: ”Men om de inte tror mig och inte lyssnar på mina ord utan säger: Herren har inte uppenbarat sig för dig?” 2 Då sade Herren till honom: ”Vad har du i handen?” 3 Han svarade: ”En stav.” Han sade: ”Kasta den på marken!” När han kastade den på marken förvandlades den till en orm,[a] och Mose flydde för den. 4 Men Herren sade till Mose: ”Räck ut handen och ta den i stjärten.” Då räckte han ut handen och grep ormen, och den blev åter en stav i hans hand. 5 Herren sade: ”Så ska de tro att Herren, deras fäders Gud, Abrahams Gud, Isaks Gud och Jakobs Gud, har uppenbarat sig för dig.”

6 Herren sade sedan till honom: ”Stick in handen i din famn!” Han gjorde så, och när han drog ut den var handen vit som snö av spetälska. 7 Sedan sade Gud: ”Stick tillbaka handen in i din famn!” Mose gjorde så, och när han drog ut den liknade den resten av hans kropp igen. 8 Och Herren sade: ”Om de inte tror dig eller lyssnar till det första tecknet, så måste de tro på det andra tecknet. 9 Men om de inte ens tror på dessa två tecken eller lyssnar till dina ord, ta då lite av Nilens vatten och häll ut det på torra marken. Då ska vattnet som du tog ur floden förvandlas till blod på torra marken.”

10 (A) Då sade Mose till Herren: ”Men Herre, jag är ingen ordets man, varken förr eller nu när du talat till din tjänare. Jag är trög i talet och har en trög tunga.” 11 (B) Herren sade till honom: ”Vem har gett människan munnen? Vem gör henne stum eller döv, seende eller blind? Är det inte jag, Herren? 12 (C) Gå nu, jag ska vara med din mun och lära dig vad du ska säga.”

13 Men Mose sade: ”Herre, jag ber dig: Sänd ditt budskap med vilken annan du vill.” 14 Då upptändes Herrens vrede mot Mose och han sade: ”Har du inte din bror Aron, leviten? Jag vet att han kan tala. Och se, han är på väg ut för att möta dig, och när han får se dig ska han bli glad i sitt hjärta. 15 (D) Du ska tala till honom och lägga orden i hans mun. Och jag ska vara med din mun och hans mun, och jag ska lära er vad ni ska göra. 16 Han ska tala i ditt ställe till folket. Han ska vara som din mun, och du ska vara som hans Gud.[b] 17 Och du ska ta den här staven i handen. Med den ska du göra dina tecken.”

Mose återvänder till Egypten

18 Mose återvände till sin svärfar Jetro och sade till honom: ”Låt mig vända tillbaka till mina bröder i Egypten för att se om de lever än.” Jetro sade till Mose: ”Gå i frid!” 19 (E) Och när Mose var i Midjan sade Herren till honom: ”Bege dig tillbaka till Egypten, för alla som ville ta ditt liv är döda.” 20 (F) Då tog Mose sin hustru och sina söner och satte dem på sin åsna och återvände till Egyptens land. Och Mose tog Guds stav i handen.

21 (G) Herren sade till Mose: ”När du kommer tillbaka till Egypten, se då till att du gör alla de under som jag gett dig makt att utföra inför farao. Men jag ska göra hans hjärta hårt så att han inte släpper folket. 22 (H) Du ska säga till farao: Så säger Herren: Israel är min förstfödde son, 23 (I) och jag har sagt till dig: Släpp min son, så att han kan hålla gudstjänst åt mig.[c] Men du vägrade att släppa honom, och därför ska jag döda din förstfödde son.”

24 (J) Under resan hände det vid en viloplats att Herren kom emot Mose och ville döda honom.[d] 25 (K) Då tog Sippora en vass flintsten och skar bort sin sons förhud, och hon rörde vid Moses fötter med den och sade: ”Du är en blodsbrudgum för mig.” 26 Och Herren lät honom vara. Det var med tanke på omskärelsen som hon sade ”blodsbrudgum”.

27 (L) Och Herren sade till Aron: ”Gå och möt Mose ute i öknen!” Han gav sig i väg och mötte Mose vid Guds berg, och han kysste honom. 28 Och Mose berättade för Aron allt som Herren hade sagt när han sände honom och om alla tecken han befallt honom att göra.

29 Sedan gick Mose och Aron och kallade samman alla de äldste bland Israels barn. 30 Och Aron talade om allt som Herren hade sagt till Mose, och han gjorde tecknen inför folkets ögon. 31 (M) Då trodde folket, och när de hörde att Herren hade tagit sig an Israels barn och sett deras lidande, böjde de sig ner och tillbad.

Footnotes

  1. 4:3 stav … orm   Staven var faraos maktattribut, och hans krona pryddes av en kobra.
  2. 4:16 mun … Gud   Aron skulle tala för Mose liksom profeterna talade för Gud (jfr 7:1).
  3. 4:23 hålla gudstjänst åt mig   Annan översättning: ”tjäna mig” (i stället för farao, jfr 1:11f).
  4. 4:24 ville döda honom   Kanske eftersom sonen inte var omskuren (jfr 1 Mos 17:14).
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Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Svenska Folkbibeln 2015 (SFB15)

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