1And Moses answered and said , But , behold , they will not believe me , nor hearken unto my voice ; for they will say , Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee . 2And Jehovah said unto him , What is that in thy hand ? And he said, A rod . 3And he said, Cast it on the ground . And he cast it on the ground , and it became a serpent ; and Moses fled from before it . 4And Jehovah said unto Moses , Put forth thy hand , and take it by the tail : ( and he put forth his hand , and laid hold of it , and it became a rod in his hand ); 5that they may believe that Jehovah , the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac , and the God of Jacob , hath appeared unto thee . 6And Jehovah said furthermore unto him , Put now thy hand into thy bosom . And he put his hand into his bosom : and when he took it out , behold , his hand was leprous , as white as snow . 7And he said , Put thy hand into thy bosom again . ( And he put his hand into his bosom again ; and when he took it out of his bosom , behold , it was turned again as his other flesh .) 8And it shall come to pass , if they will not believe thee , neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9And it shall come to pass , if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice , that thou shalt take of the water of the river , and pour it upon the dry land : and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land .
Moses' Reluctance and God's Anger
10And Moses said unto Jehovah , Oh, Lord , I am not eloquent , neither heretofore , nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant ; for I am slow of speech , and of a slow tongue . 11And Jehovah said unto him , Who hath made man ’s mouth ? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf , or seeing , or blind ? is it not I , Jehovah ? 12Now therefore go , and I will be with thy mouth , and teach thee what thou shalt speak . 13And he said, Oh , Lord, send , I pray thee , by the hand of him whom thou wilt send . 14And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses , and he said , Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite ? I know that he can speak well . And also , behold , he cometh forth to meet thee : and when he seeth thee , he will be glad in his heart . 15And thou shalt speak unto him , and put the words in his mouth : and I will be with thy mouth , and with his mouth , and will teach you what ye shall do . 16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people ; and it shall come to pass , that he shall be to thee a mouth , and thou shalt be to him as God. 17And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod , wherewith thou shalt do the signs.
Moses Returns to Egypt
18And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law , and said unto him , Let me go , I pray thee , and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt , and see whether they be yet alive . And Jethro said to Moses , Go in peace . 19And Jehovah said unto Moses in Midian , Go , return into Egypt ; for all the men are dead that sought thy life . 20And Moses took his wife and his sons , and set them upon an ass , and he returned to the land of Egypt : and Moses took the rod of God in his hand . 21And Jehovah said unto Moses , When thou goest back into Egypt , see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand : but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go . 22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh , Thus saith Jehovah , Israel is my son , my first-born: 23and I have said unto thee , Let my son go , that he may serve me ; and thou hast refused to let him go : behold , I will slay thy son , thy first-born. 24And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him , and sought to kill him . 25Then Zipporah took a flint , and cut off the foreskin of her son , and cast it at his feet ; and she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me . 26So he let him alone . Then she said, A bridegroom of blood art thou , because of the circumcision .
The Encounter with Pharaoh
27And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses . And he went , and met him in the mountain of God , and kissed him . 28And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah wherewith he had sent him , and all the signs wherewith he had charged him . 29And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel : 30and Aaron spake all the words which Jehovah had spoken unto Moses , and did the signs in the sight of the people . 31And the people believed: and when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel , and that he had seen their affliction , then they bowed their heads and worshipped .