Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’”
Then Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. And Moses ran from it.
But Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and take it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand.
“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.”
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.
Then he said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.” So he put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it was restored again as the rest of his flesh.
“It will come to pass that if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign they will believe the voice of the second sign.
But it will come to pass that if they will not believe even these two signs, nor listen to your voice, that you are to take of the water of the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.”
But Moses said to Yahweh, “Pardon, O my 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.”
Then Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say.”
But he said, “Pardon, O my Lord. Please send someone else.”
Then the anger of Yahweh was kindled 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, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what you are to do.
He will speak to the people for you, and it will come to pass that he will be a mouth for you, and you will be God to him.
And you are to take this staff in your hand, with which you are to do the signs.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
So 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.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
Now Yahweh had said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
So Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
And Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.
And you are to tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn,
and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me.” But you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”
It came to pass on the road, at a lodging place, that Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him.
Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Moses’ feet and she said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me.”
So he let him alone. At that time she said, “a husband of blood,” because of the circumcision.
And Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God and kissed him.
And Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh that he had sent him to say, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do.
Then Moses went, and Aaron, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
And Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and he did the signs in the sight of the people.
And the people believed; and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, then they kneeled and bowed down in worship.