Exodus 3:11-4:17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I(A) that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 He answered, “I will certainly be with you,(B) and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship[a] God at this mountain.”
13 Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[b](C) This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever;(D) this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
16 “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.(E) 17 And I have promised you that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt(F) to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 They will listen to what you say. Then you, along with the elders of Israel, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.(G)
19 “However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, unless he is forced by a strong hand.(H) 20 I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles that I will perform in it. After that, he will let you go.(I) 21 And I will give these people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.(J) 22 Each woman will ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry, and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”(K)
Miraculous Signs for Moses
4 Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear(L) to you’?”
2 The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, 4 but the Lord told him, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This will take place,” He continued, “so they will 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.”(M)
6 In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, white as snow.[c](N) 7 Then He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out,[d] it had again become like the rest of his skin.(O) 8 “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”(P)
10 But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant[e]—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”[f](Q)
11 Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?(R) 12 Now go! I will help[g] you speak and I will teach you what to say.”(S)
13 Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”[h]
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and He said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. 15 You will speak with him and tell him what to say.(T) I will help[i] both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. 17 And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”(U)
Footnotes
- Exodus 3:12 Or serve
- Exodus 3:14 Or I AM BECAUSE I AM, or I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE
- Exodus 4:6 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin
- Exodus 4:7 Lit out of his cloak
- Exodus 4:10 = Moses
- Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue
- Exodus 4:12 Lit will be with you
- Exodus 4:13 Lit send by the hand of whom You will send
- Exodus 4:15 Lit be with
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