Exodus 4:1-9

Expanded Bible

Proof for Moses

4 Then Moses answered, “What if ·the people of Israel [^Lthey] do not ·believe [trust] me or listen to ·me [^Lmy voice]? What if they say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

² The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

Moses answered, “It is my ·walking stick [staff; ^Crepresenting the presence of God].”

³ The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a ·snake [serpent]. Moses ·ran [fled] from the ·snake [serpent], ⁴ but the Lord said to him, “·Reach out [^LSend out your hand] and ·grab [grasp; catch] the ·snake [serpent] by its tail.” When ·Moses [^Lhe] ·reached out [^Lsent out his hand] and ·took hold of [snatched] ·the snake [^Lit], it again became a ·stick [staff] in his hand. ⁵ The Lord said, “This is so that the ·Israelites [^Lthey] will ·believe [trust] that the Lord appeared to you. I am the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; ^Lbosom].” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; ^Lbosom]. When he took it out, it was ·white [^Llike snow] with ·a skin disease [^Tleprosy; ^Cthe word is used for a variety of skin diseases].

⁷ Then he said, “Now put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; ^Lbosom] again.” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; ^Lbosom] again. When he took it out [^Lof his coat/cloak/bosom], ·his hand was healthy again, like the rest of his skin [^Lit was restored like his flesh].

⁸ Then the Lord said, “If the people do not ·believe [trust] you or ·pay attention to [listen to the evidence of] the first ·miracle [sign], they may ·believe [trust] you when you show them this second ·miracle [sign]. ⁹ After these two ·miracles [signs], if they still do not ·believe [trust] or listen to ·you [^Lyour voice], take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water will become blood ·when it touches [^Lon] the ground.”