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Exodus 4

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

² Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and will teach you what you shall say."

³ But he said, "Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose]."

⁴ Then the anger of the LORD was kindled and burned against Moses; He said, "Is there not your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.

⁵ You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.

⁶ Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; he will act as a mouthpiece for you, and you will be as God to him [telling him what I say to you].

⁷ You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you]."

⁸ Then Moses went away and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please, let me go back so that I may return to my[3] relatives in Egypt, and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life [for killing the Egyptian] are dead."

¹⁰ So Moses took his wife [Zipporah] and his sons [Gershom and Eliezer] and seated them on donkeys, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

¹¹ The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders (miracles) which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go.

¹² Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn.

¹³ So I say to you, 'Let My son go so that he may serve Me'; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

¹⁴ Now it happened at the lodging place, that the LORD met Moses and sought to kill him [making him deathly ill because he had not circumcised one of his sons].

¹⁵ [4] Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Moses' feet, and said, "Indeed you are a husband of blood to me!"

¹⁶ So He let Moses alone [to recover]. At that time Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood"—because of the circumcision.

¹⁷ The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him at the mountain of God (Sinai) and kissed him.

¹⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do.

¹⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went [into Egypt] and assembled all the elders of the Israelites;

²⁰ and Aaron said all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then Moses performed the signs [given to him by God] before the people.

²¹ So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the LORD].

²² Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

²³ But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."

²⁴ Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go on a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God, so that He does not discipline us with pestilence or with the sword."

²⁵ But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!"

²⁶ Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them stop their work!"

²⁷ The very same day Pharaoh gave orders to the [Egyptian] taskmasters in charge of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen, saying,

²⁸ You will no longer give the people[1] straw to make brick as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks which they were making before, you shall [still] require of them; you are not to reduce it in the least. For they are idle and lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God's] lying words.

²⁹ Then the [Egyptian] taskmasters [in charge] of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you any straw.

³⁰ Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work [quota] will not be reduced in the least.'"

³¹ So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.

#	AMP
1	The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
2	Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and will teach you what you shall say."
3	But he said, "Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose]."
4	Then the anger of the LORD was kindled and burned against Moses; He said, "Is there not your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed.
5	You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do.
6	Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; he will act as a mouthpiece for you, and you will be as God to him [telling him what I say to you].
7	You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you]."
8	Then Moses went away and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please, let me go back so that I may return to my[3] relatives in Egypt, and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
9	Then the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life [for killing the Egyptian] are dead."
10	So Moses took his wife [Zipporah] and his sons [Gershom and Eliezer] and seated them on donkeys, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.
11	The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders (miracles) which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go.
12	Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn.
13	So I say to you, 'Let My son go so that he may serve Me'; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"
14	Now it happened at the lodging place, that the LORD met Moses and sought to kill him [making him deathly ill because he had not circumcised one of his sons].
15	[4] Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Moses' feet, and said, "Indeed you are a husband of blood to me!"
16	So He let Moses alone [to recover]. At that time Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood"—because of the circumcision.
17	The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him at the mountain of God (Sinai) and kissed him.
18	Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do.
19	Then Moses and Aaron went [into Egypt] and assembled all the elders of the Israelites;
20	and Aaron said all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then Moses performed the signs [given to him by God] before the people.
21	So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the LORD].
22	Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"
23	But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."
24	Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go on a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God, so that He does not discipline us with pestilence or with the sword."
25	But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
26	Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them stop their work!"
27	The very same day Pharaoh gave orders to the [Egyptian] taskmasters in charge of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen, saying,
28	You will no longer give the people[1] straw to make brick as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks which they were making before, you shall [still] require of them; you are not to reduce it in the least. For they are idle and lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God's] lying words.
29	Then the [Egyptian] taskmasters [in charge] of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you any straw.
30	Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work [quota] will not be reduced in the least.'"
31	So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.

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