Exodus 4 · Kingdoms of Scripture

1Moses answered, “But they will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice. They will say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you.’”

2Yahweh said to him, “From this, in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”

Notes (1)

Text
The written consonants are מזה, “from this.” The Masoretic reading splits them as מה־זה, “what is this.” The written form is printed.

3He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses fled from it.

4Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and grasp it by the tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his palm.

5So they will believe that Yahweh appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

6Yahweh said to him again, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand inside his cloak, and he brought it out, and his hand was leprous, like snow.

Notes (1)

Translation
Metzoraat is the skin condition the Hebrew calls leprosy. The English keeps that word. It is not a modern medical diagnosis.

7He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and he brought it out of his cloak, and it had turned back like the rest of his flesh.

8If they do not believe you and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the later sign.

9If they do not believe even these two signs, and do not listen to your voice, take some water of the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.

Notes (1)

Translation
The verb “they will become” is written twice, once before the water is named and once after. The English says it once.

10Moses said to Yahweh, “Please, Lord, I am not a man of words. Not yesterday, not the day before, not since you spoke to your servant. I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Adonai here is “Lord,” not the four consonants. Yahweh is not written into this address. “Heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue” is the Hebrew picture of a hard speech.

11Yahweh said to him, “Who put a mouth in a human? Or who makes a person mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?

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

13He said, “Please, Lord, send by the hand of whoever you will send.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Shlach na beyad tishlach asks that someone else be sent. No name is supplied.

14Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses. He said, “Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak, he can speak. And here he is, coming out to meet you. He will see you and be glad in his heart.

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

16He will speak for you to the people. He will be a mouth for you, and you will be God for him.

Notes (1)

Translation
Le’elohim: you will be God for him. The line means Aaron speaks and Moses stands, toward Aaron, in the place of God. It does not rename Moses as Yahweh.

17Take this staff in your hand. You will do the signs with it.”

18Moses went and returned to Jether his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go, please, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

Notes (1)

Text
This verse writes Jether, then Jethro. Both spellings are printed. They are not smoothed into one name.

19Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”

20Moses took his wife and his sons, mounted them on the donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Notes (1)

Text
“Sons” is plural, and the donkey is singular. Only Gershom has been named so far. No second name is added. Eliezer is not written until chapter 18.

21Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see to all the wonders I have put in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh. I will strengthen his heart, and he will not send the people away.

Notes (1)

Translation
Achazzeq is “I will strengthen.” Later verses use other verbs, “make heavy” and “make hard.” They are not collapsed into one English word. This verse is “strengthen.”

22You shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

23I said to you, send my son away so he can serve me. You refused to send him away. Look, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.’”

24On the way, at the lodging place, Yahweh met him and sought to put him to death.

Notes (1)

Translation
“Him” is not named. The person met could be Moses or the son. The pronoun is left as “him.”

25Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, touched his feet with it, and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Chatan damim is “a bridegroom of blood.” Chatan is a bridegroom, or a man related by marriage. The phrase is not explained in the Hebrew. “His feet” does not name whose feet. Raglav is printed “his feet,” not a euphemism added in English.

26He let him alone. Then she said, “A bridegroom of blood, for the circumcisions.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Lamulot is plural, “for the circumcisions.” The singular “for the circumcision” is not printed.

27Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him.

28Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs he had commanded him.

29Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel.

30Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and he did the signs in the eyes of the people.

31The people believed. They heard that Yahweh had attended to the sons of Israel and that he had seen their misery, and they knelt and bowed low.

1Moses answered, “But they will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice. They will say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you.’”

2Yahweh said to him, “From this, in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”

Notes (1)

Text
The written consonants are מזה, “from this.” The Masoretic reading splits them as מה־זה, “what is this.” The written form is printed.

3He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and Moses fled from it.

4Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and grasp it by the tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his palm.

5So they will believe that Yahweh appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

6Yahweh said to him again, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” He put his hand inside his cloak, and he brought it out, and his hand was leprous, like snow.

Notes (1)

Translation
Metzoraat is the skin condition the Hebrew calls leprosy. The English keeps that word. It is not a modern medical diagnosis.

7He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and he brought it out of his cloak, and it had turned back like the rest of his flesh.

8If they do not believe you and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the later sign.

Notes (1)

Translation
The verb “they will become” is written twice, once before the water is named and once after. The English says it once.

10Moses said to Yahweh, “Please, Lord, I am not a man of words. Not yesterday, not the day before, not since you spoke to your servant. I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Adonai here is “Lord,” not the four consonants. Yahweh is not written into this address. “Heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue” is the Hebrew picture of a hard speech.

11Yahweh said to him, “Who put a mouth in a human? Or who makes a person mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?

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

13He said, “Please, Lord, send by the hand of whoever you will send.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Shlach na beyad tishlach asks that someone else be sent. No name is supplied.

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

16He will speak for you to the people. He will be a mouth for you, and you will be God for him.

Notes (1)

Translation
Le’elohim: you will be God for him. The line means Aaron speaks and Moses stands, toward Aaron, in the place of God. It does not rename Moses as Yahweh.

17Take this staff in your hand. You will do the signs with it.”

Notes (1)

Text
This verse writes Jether, then Jethro. Both spellings are printed. They are not smoothed into one name.

19Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”

20Moses took his wife and his sons, mounted them on the donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Notes (1)

Text
“Sons” is plural, and the donkey is singular. Only Gershom has been named so far. No second name is added. Eliezer is not written until chapter 18.

21Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see to all the wonders I have put in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh. I will strengthen his heart, and he will not send the people away.

Notes (1)

Translation
Achazzeq is “I will strengthen.” Later verses use other verbs, “make heavy” and “make hard.” They are not collapsed into one English word. This verse is “strengthen.”

22You shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

23I said to you, send my son away so he can serve me. You refused to send him away. Look, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.’”

24On the way, at the lodging place, Yahweh met him and sought to put him to death.

Notes (1)

Translation
“Him” is not named. The person met could be Moses or the son. The pronoun is left as “him.”

25Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, touched his feet with it, and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Chatan damim is “a bridegroom of blood.” Chatan is a bridegroom, or a man related by marriage. The phrase is not explained in the Hebrew. “His feet” does not name whose feet. Raglav is printed “his feet,” not a euphemism added in English.

26He let him alone. Then she said, “A bridegroom of blood, for the circumcisions.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Lamulot is plural, “for the circumcisions.” The singular “for the circumcision” is not printed.

27Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses.” He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him.

28Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs he had commanded him.

29Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the sons of Israel.

30Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and he did the signs in the eyes of the people.

31The people believed. They heard that Yahweh had attended to the sons of Israel and that he had seen their misery, and they knelt and bowed low.