Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

4 Moses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee.

² Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

³ And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent: so that Moses fled from it.

⁴ And the Lord said: Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod.

⁵ That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

⁶ And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow.

⁷ And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.

⁸ If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.

⁹ But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river shall be turned into blood.

¹⁰ Moses said: I beseech thee, Lord. I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before: and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impediment and slowness of tongue.

¹¹ The Lord said to him: Who made man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I?

¹² Go therefore and I will be in thy mouth: and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak.

¹³ But he said: I beseech thee, Lord send whom thou wilt send.

¹⁴ The Lord being angry at Moses, said Aaron the Levite is thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee shall be glad at heart.

¹⁵ Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth: and I will be in thy mouth, and in his mouth, and will shew you what you must do.

¹⁶ He shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to him in those things that pertain to God.

¹⁷ And take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.

2 Wherefore laying away all malice, and all guile, and dissimulations, and envies, and all detractions,

² As newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile, that thereby you may grow unto salvation:

³ If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet.

⁴ Unto whom coming, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen and made honourable by God:

⁵ Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

⁶ Wherefore it is said in the scripture: Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious. And he that shall believe in him, shall not be confounded.

⁷ To you therefore that believe, he is honour: but to them that believe not, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:

⁸ And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of scandal, to them who stumble at the word, neither do believe, whereunto also they are set.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people: that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

¹⁰ Who in time past were not a people: but are now the people of God. Who had not obtained mercy; but now have obtained mercy.