Exodus 4 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ Exodus 4 ►

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1Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”

1Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"

2So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”

2Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.

3And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

3The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),

4Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

5“that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

5"This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."

6Furthermore the LORD said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.

6Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous --it had become as white as snow.

7And 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 behold, it was restored like his other flesh.

7"Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

8“Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.

8Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.

9And 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. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”

9But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."

10Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

10Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

11So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?

11The LORD said to him, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

12Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

12Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

13But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

13But Moses said, "Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else."

14So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

14Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.

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

15You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.

16So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.

16He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.

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

17But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it."

18So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

18Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive." Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."

19Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”

19Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead."

20Then 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 rod of God in his hand.

20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

21And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

21The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

22Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,

23So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

23and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"

24And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.

24At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.

25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”

25But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.

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

26So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)

27And the LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.

27The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.

28So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

28Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

29Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

29Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,

30And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.

30and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,

31So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

31and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

New International Version (NIV)

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