Exodus 4:1-17 - Yahweh Provides Signs And Help For Speaking

¹ Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear 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.”

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. 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, it had again become like the rest of his skin. 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.”

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—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”

¹¹ Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? ¹² Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.”

¹³ Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”

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. I will help 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.”