1 Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’"

2 Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

He said, "A rod."

3 He said, "Throw it on the ground."

He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.

4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail."

He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

5 "This is so that they may 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." 6 Yahweh said furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak."

He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7 He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again."

He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.

8 "It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land."

10 Moses said to Yahweh, "O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

11 Yahweh said to him, "Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."

13 Moses said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

14 Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 16 He will be your spokesman to the people. It will happen that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God. 17 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

18 Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive."

Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod in his hand. 21 Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. 22 You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’"

24 On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me."

26 So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.

27 Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."

He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

1 Toe antwoord Moses en sê: Maar as hulle my nie glo en na my stem nie luister nie, maar sê: Die HERE het nie aan jou verskyn nie?

2 Daarop vra die HERE vir hom: Wat is daar in jou hand? En hy antwoord: 'n Staf.

3 En Hy sê: Gooi dit op die grond. Toe gooi hy dit op die grond, en dit het 'n slang geword; en Moses het daarvoor gevlug.

4 Toe sê die HERE vir Moses: Steek jou hand uit en gryp dit aan die stert. Hierop het hy sy hand uitgesteek en dit gegryp, en dit het 'n staf in sy hand geword --

5 sodat hulle kan glo dat die HERE, die God van hulle vaders, die God van Abraham, die God van Isak en die God van Jakob, aan jou verskyn het.

6 En die HERE het verder vir hom gesê: Steek tog jou hand in jou boesem. En hy het sy hand in sy boesem gesteek; en toe hy dit uittrek, was sy hand melaats, soos sneeu!

7 En Hy sê: Steek jou hand weer in jou boesem. En hy het sy hand weer in sy boesem gesteek; en toe hy dit uit sy boesem uittrek, was dit weer soos sy ander vlees!

8 En as hulle jou nie glo en aan die eerste teken geen gehoor gee nie, dan sal hulle die laaste teken glo.

9 En as hulle ook hierdie twee tekens nie glo en na jou stem nie luister nie, neem dan van die Nyl se water en giet dit op die droë grond uit; dan sal die water wat jy uit die Nyl neem, op die droë grond bloed word.

10 Toe sê Moses aan die HERE: Ag, Here, ek is nie 'n man van woorde nie -- van gister of van eergister of vandat U met u kneg gespreek het nie; want ek is swaar van mond en swaar van tong.

11 En die HERE antwoord hom: Wie het vir die mens die mond gemaak, of wie maak stom of doof, of siende of blind? Is dit nie Ek, die HERE, nie?

12 Gaan dan nou heen, en Ek sal met jou mond wees en jou leer wat jy moet sê.

13 Maar hy sê: Ag, Here, stuur tog deur wie U wil stuur.

14 Toe ontvlam die toorn van die HERE teen Moses, en Hy sê: Is jou broer A„ron, die Leviet, nie daar nie? Ek weet dat hy goed kan praat. En hy gaan ook al uit om jou te ontmoet, en as hy jou sien, sal hy bly wees in sy hart.

15 Jy moet dan met hom spreek en die woorde in sy mond lê. En k sal met jou mond en sy mond wees en julle leer wat julle moet doen.

16 En hy moet vir jou met die volk spreek, en dan sal hy vir jou 'n mond wees en jy vir hom 'n god wees.

17 Neem dan hierdie staf in jou hand waarmee jy die tekens moet doen.

18 Toe gaan Moses weg en kom by sy skoonvader Jetro terug, en hy sê vir hom: Laat my tog trek en na my broers teruggaan wat in Egipte is, om te sien of hulle nog lewe. En Jetro sê vir Moses: Gaan in vrede.

19 Ook het die HERE vir Moses in M¡dian gesê: Gaan heen, keer terug na Egipte; want al die manne wat jou lewe gesoek het, is dood.

20 Moses neem toe sy vrou en sy seuns en laat hulle op 'n esel ry, terug na Egipteland. Moses het ook die staf van God in sy hand geneem.

21 En die HERE sê vir Moses: Nou dat jy wegtrek om na Egipte terug te gaan, kyk dat jy al die wonders voor Farao doen wat Ek in jou mag gestel het. Maar k sal sy hart verhard, sodat hy die volk nie sal laat trek nie.

22 Dan moet jy vir Farao sê: So spreek die HERE: My eersgebore seun is Israel.

23 Daarom beveel Ek jou: Laat my seun trek, dat hy My kan dien. Maar jy het geweier om hom te laat trek. Kyk, Ek sal jou eersgebore seun laat sterwe.

24 En op die pad in die herberg het die HERE hom teëgekom en wou hom doodmaak.

25 Toe neem Sippora 'n skerp klip en sny die voorhuid van haar seun af en gooi dit voor sy voete en sê: Waarlik, jy is vir my 'n bloedbruidegom!

26 En Hy het hom laat staan. Toe het sy gesê: Bloedbruidegom! -- met die oog op die besnydenis.

27 Die HERE het ook aan A„ron gesê: Loop Moses tegemoet in die woestyn. En hy het geloop en hom by die berg van God aangetref en hom gesoen.

28 Daarop vertel Moses aan A„ron al die woorde van die HERE waarmee Hy hom gestuur het, en al die tekens wat Hy hom beveel het.

29 En Moses en A„ron het vertrek en al die oudstes van die kinders van Israel bymekaar laat kom;

30 en A„ron het al die woorde gespreek wat die HERE aan Moses gesê het, en die tekens gedoen voor die oë van die volk.

31 En die volk het geglo. En toe hulle hoor dat die HERE op die kinders van Israel ag gegee en hulle ellende aangesien het, het hulle in aanbidding neergebuig.