Exodus 4:1-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Moses’s Miraculous Power
4 Then Moses answered, “But look, they may not believe me or listen to me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”(A) 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”(B) 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses drew back from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and seize it by the tail”—so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, as white as snow.(C) 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back into your cloak”—so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his body(D)— 8 “If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”(E)
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Exodus 4:1-9
International Standard Version
Moses Argues with God
4 Then Moses answered, “Look, they won’t believe me and they won’t listen to me.[a] Instead, they’ll say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you.’”
2 “What’s that in your hand?” the Lord asked him.
Moses[b] answered, “A staff.”[c]
3 Then God[d] said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it.
4 Then God told Moses, “Reach out[e] and grab its tail.” So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff[f] in his hand. 5 God said, “I’ve done this[g] so that they may believe that the Lord God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6 Again the Lord told him, “Put your hand into your bosom.”[h] He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like snow.[i] 7 Then God[j] said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.” He returned it[k] to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out,[l] it was restored like the rest of[m] his skin.[n]
8 “Then if they don’t believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second[o] sign. 9 But if they don’t believe even these two signs, and won’t listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River[p] and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River[q] will turn into blood on the dry ground.”
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- Exodus 4:1 Lit. to my voice. And so through the passage
- Exodus 4:2 Lit. he
- Exodus 4:2 Or rod
- Exodus 4:3 Lit. he
- Exodus 4:4 Lit. Stretch out your hand
- Exodus 4:4 Or rod
- Exodus 4:5 The Heb. lacks God said, “I have done this
- Exodus 4:6 I.e. under the folds of the garment at the chest
- Exodus 4:6 I.e. his hand was white
- Exodus 4:7 Lit. He
- Exodus 4:7 Lit. his hand
- Exodus 4:7 Lit. out from his bosom
- Exodus 4:7 The Heb. lacks the rest of
- Exodus 4:7 Lit. flesh
- Exodus 4:8 Lit. latter
- Exodus 4:9 The Heb. lacks River
- Exodus 4:9 The Heb. lacks River
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