SHEMOTH 4 (Exodus 4)

1 And Mosheh answered and said, “And if they do not believe me, or listen to my voice, and say, ‘𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has not appeared to you?’ ”

2 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”

3 And He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Mosheh fled from it.

4 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “Reach out your hand and catch it by the tail” – so he reached out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand –

5 so that they believe that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of their fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ, has appeared to you.”

6 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to him again, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, and see, his hand was leprous, like snow.

7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and see, it was restored like his other flesh.

8 “And it shall be, if they do not believe you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they shall believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 “And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river shall become blood on the dry land.”

10 And Mosheh said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, I am not a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

11 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄?

12 “And now, go, and I shall be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”

13 But he said, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, please send by the hand of him whom You would send.”

14 And the displeasure of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 burned against Mosheh, and He said, “Is not Aharon the Lĕwite your brother? I know that he speaks well. And see, he is also coming out to meet you. And when he sees you, he shall be glad in his heart.

15 “And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I am with your mouth and with his mouth, and I shall teach you what to do.

16 “And he shall speak for you to the people. And it shall be that he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be an elohim for him.

17 “And take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

18 Then Mosheh went and returned to Yithro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Mitsrayim to see whether they are still alive.” And Yithro said to Mosheh, “Go in peace.”

19 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh in Miḏyan, “Go, return to Mitsrayim, for all the men are dead who sought your life.”

20 So Mosheh took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Mitsrayim. And Mosheh took the rod of Elohim in his hand.

21 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Mosheh, “As you go back to Mitsrayim, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I am going to harden his heart, so that he does not let the people go.

22 “And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Yisra’ĕl is My son, My first-born,

23 so I say to you, let My son go to serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, see, I am killing your son, your first-born.” ’ ”

24 And it came to be on the way, in the lodging place, that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 met him and sought to kill him.

25 And Tsipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Mosheh’s feet, and said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me!”

26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

27 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Aharon, “Go to meet Mosheh in the wilderness.” And he went and met him on the mountain of Elohim, and kissed him.

28 Mosheh then told Aharon, all the words of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

29 And Mosheh went with Aharon and gathered together all the elders of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

30 And Aharon spoke all the words which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had spoken to Mosheh. Then he did the signs before the eyes of the people.

31 And the people believed. And they heard that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had visited the children of Yisra’ĕl and that He had looked on their affliction, and they bowed their heads and did obeisance.