| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Then Moses answered, "What if they won't believe me and will not obey me but say, 'The LORD did not appear to you?" | 1Then Moses answered, "Look, they won't believe me and they won't listen to me. Instead, they'll say, 'The LORD didn't appear to you.'" |
| 2The LORD asked him, "What is that in your hand?"" A staff," he replied. | 2"What's that in your hand?" the LORD asked him. Moses answered, "A staff." |
| 3Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, | 3Then God said, "Throw it to the ground." He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it. |
| 4but the LORD told him, "Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail." So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. " | 4Then God told Moses, "Reach out and grab its tail." So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff in his hand. |
| 5This will take place," He continued, "so they will believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." | 5God said, "I've done this 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." |
| 6In addition the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, white as snow. | 6Again the LORD told him, "Put your hand into your bosom." He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like snow. |
| 7Then He said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin." | 7Then God said, "Put your hand back into your bosom." He returned it to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out, it was restored like the rest of his skin. |
| 8If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. | 8"Then if they don't believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second sign. |
| 9And if they don't believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground." | 9But if they don't believe even these two signs, and won't listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River will turn into blood on the dry ground." |
| 10But Moses replied to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent--either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant--because I am slow and hesitant in speech." | 10Then Moses told the LORD, "Please, LORD, I'm not eloquent. I never was in the past nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly and I have a speech impediment." |
| 11Yahweh said to him, "Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? | 11Then God asked him, "Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the LORD? |
| 12Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say." | 12Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech, and I'll teach you what you are to say." |
| 13Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else." | 13Moses said, "Please, LORD, send somebody else." |
| 14Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses, and He said, "Isn't Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. | 14Then the LORD was angry with Moses and said, "There is your brother Aaron, a descendant of Levi, isn't there? I know that he certainly is eloquent. Right now he's coming to meet you and he will be pleased to see you. |
| 15You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. | 15You're to speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll help both you and him with your speech, and I'll teach both of you what you are to do. |
| 16He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. | 16He is to speak to the people for you as your spokesman and you are to act in the role of God for him. |
| 17And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with." | 17Now pick up that staff with your hand. You'll use it to perform the signs." |
| 18Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, "Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." | 18Moses left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses told him, "Please let me go and return to my own people in Egypt so I can see whether they're still alive." Jethro told Moses, "Go in peace." |
| 19Now in Midian the LORD told Moses, "Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." | 19The LORD told Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead." |
| 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God's staff in his hand. | 20So Moses took his wife and son, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand. |
| 21The LORD instructed Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won't let the people go. | 21Then the LORD told Moses, "When you set out to return to Egypt, keep in mind all the wonders that I've put in your power, so that you may do them before Pharaoh. But I'll harden his heart so that he won't let the people go. |
| 22Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son. | 22You are to say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: "Israel is my firstborn son. |
| 23I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!" | 23And I say to you, 'Let my son go so he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, then I will kill your firstborn son.'"'" |
| 24On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the LORD confronted him and sought to put him to death. | 24But later on, at the lodging place along the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. |
| 25So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, and threw it at Moses' feet. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me!" | 25Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, saying while doing so, "…because you are a bridegroom of blood to me." |
| 26So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision. | 26Then the LORD withdrew from him, and she said, "…a bridegroom of blood because of circumcision." |
| 27Now the LORD had said to Aaron, "Go and meet Moses in the wilderness." So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. | 27The LORD told Aaron, "Go meet Moses in the desert." So Aaron went, found him at the mountain of God, and embraced him. |
| 28Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. | 28Moses told Aaron all of the LORD's messages that he had sent with Moses, and all of the signs that he commanded him to do. |
| 29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. | 29Later, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelis. |
| 30Aaron repeated everything the LORD had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. | 30Aaron spoke everything that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Moses performed the miracles before the very eyes of the people. |
| 31The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. | 31The people believed and understood that the LORD had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship. |
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