Moshe answered and said, “They will not believe me. They will not listen to my voice [obey me]. They will say, ‘Adonoy did not appear [become revealed] to you.’”

Adonoy said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”

[God] said, “Throw it on the ground.” He [Moshe] threw it on the ground and it turned into a snake. Moshe ran away from it.

Adonoy said to Moshe, “Reach out your hand and grasp its tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

“This is so that they will believe that Adonoy appeared [became revealed] to you; the God of their fathers, God of Avraham, God of Yitzchok and God of Yaakov.”

Adonoy said furthermore to him [Moshe], “Put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom, and when he withdrew it, his hand had become a snow-like tzora’as [white as snow].

He [Adonoy] said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” [Moshe] put his hand into his bosom again, and when he withdrew it from his bosom, it had become [normal] as his flesh.

“If they do not believe you, and they do not listen to [accept] the voice [of proof] of the first [miraculous] sign; then they will believe the voice [of proof] of the latter [second] sign.

And if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice [accept you], then you shall take from the water of the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you will take from the river will turn into blood on the dry land.”

Moshe said to [before] Adonoy, “I beg You Adonoy, I am not a man of words—not since yesterday, not since the day before—not from the time You [first] spoke to Your servant, for I am clumsy [slow] of mouth [speech] [heavy of speech] and clumsy [slow] of tongue [language].”

Adonoy said to him, “Who gave man a mouth, or who makes [a person] dumb or deaf? [Who makes a person] see or makes him blind? Is it not I—Adonoy?”

Now go. I [My Word] will be with your mouth, and teach you what to say.”

[Moshe] said, “I beg You Adony [my Master,] please [now] send the one You usually send [who is fit to be sent].”

Adonoy displayed anger toward Moshe and said, “Is not Aharon, the Levite, your brother? I know [It is revealed before Me] that he knows how to speak. Behold he is setting out to meet you, and when he sees you he will rejoice in his heart.

You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I [My Word] will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what to do.

He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will be his master.

Take this rod in your hand, for with it you will perform the [miraculous] signs.”

Moshe went and returned to Yeser, his father-in-law, and said to him, “I would like to leave [now] and return to my brothers in Egypt, to see if they are still alive.” Yisro said to Moshe, “Go in peace.”

Adonoy said to Moshe in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for they have died—all the men who had sought your life [to kill you].”

Moshe [then] took his wife and his sons, set them to ride on the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moshe took the rod of [with which miracles had been carried out before] God in his hand.

Adonoy said to Moshe, “On your way back to Egypt, see [keep in mind] all the wondrous [signs] that I have placed in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh. I will harden his heart, and he will not send the people out.

You will say to Pharaoh, This is what Adonoy said, Yisroel is My son, My firstborn.

And I have said to you, send out My son and let him serve [before] Me. If you refuse to send him, behold, I will slay your [own] firstborn son.”

He [Moshe] was along the way, in the inn, [an Angel of] Adonoy confronted him, and wanted to kill him.

Tzipporah took a flint-stone and cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at his feet [brought it before him], saying, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me [With this blood of circumcision, a husband is given to us].”

He then withdrew from him [Moshe. Then she said, “[You are] a bridegroom of blood [to me] because of the circumcision [Were it not for this blood of circumcision, my husband would have deserved to be killed].”

Adonoy said to Aharon, “Go meet Moshe in the desert.” He [Aharon] went and met him at the mountain [upon which was revealed the Glory] of God and he kissed him.

Moshe told Aharon all the words of Adonoy with which He had sent him; and all the [miraculous] signs that He had commanded him [to demonstrate].

Moshe and Aharon went [to Egypt] and they gathered all the elders of the B’nei Yisrael.

Aharon spoke all the words that Adonoy had spoken to Moshe, and he demonstrated the [miraculous] signs in the eyes [sight] of the people.

The people believed. When they heard that Adonoy was mindful of the B’nei Yisrael, and that He had seen their suffering [was revealed before Him], they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.