Moses’ Staff

1Then Moses answered, and said, But lo, they will not beleeue me, nor hearken vnto my voyce: for they will say, The Lorde hath not appeared vnto thee. 2And the Lord said vnto him, What is that in thine hande? And he answered, A rod. 3Then said he, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it on the grounde, and it was turned into a serpent: and Moses fled from it. 4Againe the Lorde saide vnto Moses, Put foorth thine hand, and take it by the tayle. Then he put foorth his hande and caught it, and it was turned into a rod in his hand. 5Do this that they may beleeue, that the Lorde God of their fathers, the God of Abraha, the God of Izhak, and the God of Iaakob hath appeared vnto thee.

Moses’ Hand

6And the Lorde saide furthermore vnto him, Thrust nowe thine hand into thy bosome; he thrust his hand into his bosome, & when he tooke it out againe, behold, his hand was leprous as snowe. 7Moreouer he said, Put thine hand into thy bosome againe. So he put his hande into his bosome againe, & pluckt it out of his bosome, and behold, it was turned againe as his other flesh. 8So shall it be, if they wil not beleeue thee, neither obey the voyce of ye first signe, yet shall they beleeue for the voyce of the seconde signe. 9But if they will not yet beleeue these two signes, neither obey vnto thy voyce, then shalt thou take of the water of the riuer, and powre it vpon the drie lande: so the water which thou shalt take out of the riuer, shalbe turned to blood vpon the drie land.

The Appointment of Aaron

10But Moses said vnto the Lorde, Oh my Lorde, I am not eloquent, neither at any time haue bene, nor yet since thou hast spoken vnto thy seruant: but I am slowe of speach & slowe of tongue. 11Then the Lorde said vnto him, Who hath giuen the mouth to man? or who hath made the domme, or the deafe, or him that seeth, or the blinde? haue not I the Lorde? 12Therefore goe nowe, and I will be with thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say. 13But he saide, Oh my Lorde, sende, I pray thee, by the hande of him, whome thou shouldest sende.

14Then the Lorde was verie angrie with Moses, and said, Doe not I know Aaron thy brother the Leuite, that he himselfe shall speake? for loe, he commeth also foorth to meete thee, and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15Therefore thou shalt speake vnto him, and put the wordes in his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye ought to doe. 16And he shall be thy spokesman vnto the people: and he shall be, euen he shall be as thy mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. 17Moreouer thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do miracles.

Moses Leaves for Egypt

18Therefore Moses went and returned to Iethro his father in lawe, & said vnto him, I pray thee, let me goe, and returne to my brethren, which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet aliue. Then Iethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19(For the Lord had said vnto Moses in Midian, Goe, returne to Egypt: for they are all dead which went about to kill thee) 20Then Moses tooke his wife, & his sonnes, and put them on an asse, and returned towarde the lande of Egypt, and Moses tooke the rod of God in his hand.

21And the Lorde saide vnto Moses, When thou art entred and come into Egypt againe, see that thou doe all the wonders before Pharaoh, which I haue put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, and he shall not let the people goe. 22Then thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lorde, Israel is my sonne, euen my first borne. 23Wherefore I say to thee, Let my sonne go, that he may serue me: if thou refuse to let him goe, beholde, I will slay thy sonne, euen thy first borne.

24And as he was by the waye in the ynne, the Lord met him, and would haue killed him. 25Then Zipporah tooke a sharpe knife, and cut away the foreskinne of her sonne, and cast it at his feete, and said, Thou art indeede a bloody husband vnto me. 26So he departed from him. Then she saide, O bloodie husbande (because of the circumcision)

The People Believe Moses and Aaron

27Then the Lorde saide vnto Aaron, Goe meete Moses in the wildernesse; he went and mette him in the Mount of God, and kissed him. 28Then Moses tolde Aaron all the wordes of the Lord, who had sent him, and all the signes wherewith he had charged him. 29So went Moses and Aaron, and gathered all the Elders of the children of Israel. 30And Aaron told all the wordes, which the Lorde had spoken vnto Moses, and he did the miracles in the sight of the people, 31And the people beleeued, and when they heard that the Lorde had visited the children of Israel, and had looked vpon their tribulation, they bowed downe, and worshipped.