God Gives Moses Miraculous Power
1 Then Moses answered the Lord, “But suppose the Israelites do not believe me and will not listen to what I say. What shall I do if they say that you did not appear to me?”
2 So the Lord asked him, “What are you holding?”
“A walking stick,” he answered.
3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” When Moses threw it down, it turned into a snake, and he ran away from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach down and pick it up by the tail.” So Moses reached down and caught it, and it became a walking stick again. 5 The Lord said, “Do this to prove to the Israelites that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 The Lord spoke to Moses again, “Put your hand inside your robe.” Moses obeyed; and when he took his hand out, it was diseased, covered with white spots, like snow. 7 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your robe again.” He did so, and when he took it out this time, it was healthy, just like the rest of his body. 8 The Lord said, “If they will not believe you or be convinced by the first miracle, then this one will convince them. 9 If in spite of these two miracles they still will not believe you, and if they refuse to listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. The water will turn into blood.”
10 But Moses said, “No, Lord, don't send me. I have never been a good speaker, and I haven't become one since you began to speak to me. I am a poor speaker, slow and hesitant.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gives man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? It is I, the Lord. 12 Now, go! I will help you to speak, and I will tell you what to say.”
13 But Moses answered, “No, Lord, please send someone else.”
14 At this the Lord became angry with Moses and said, “What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. In fact, he is now coming to meet you and will be glad to see you. 15 You can speak to him and tell him what to say. I will help both of you to speak, and I will tell you both what to do. 16 He will be your spokesman and speak to the people for you. Then you will be like God, telling him what to say. 17 Take this walking stick with you; for with it you will perform miracles.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go back to my relatives in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” Jethro agreed and told him good-bye.
19 While Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and set out with them for Egypt, carrying the walking stick that God had told him to take.
21 Again the Lord said to Moses, “Now that you are going back to Egypt, be sure to perform before the king all the miracles which I have given you the power to do. But I will make the king stubborn, and he will not let the people go. 22 Then you must tell him that I, the Lord, say, ‘Israel is my first-born son. 23 I told you to let my son go, so that he might worship me, but you refused. Now I am going to kill your first-born son.’”
24 At a camping place on the way to Egypt, the Lord met Moses and tried to kill him. 25-26 Then Zipporah, his wife, took a sharp stone, cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched Moses' feet with it. Because of the rite of circumcision she said to Moses, “You are a husband of blood to me.” And so the Lord spared Moses' life.
27 Meanwhile the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he went to meet him at the holy mountain; and when he met him, he kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything that the Lord had said when he told him to return to Egypt; he also told him about the miracles which the Lord had ordered him to perform. 29 So Moses and Aaron went to Egypt and gathered all the Israelite leaders together. 30 Aaron told them everything that the Lord had said to Moses, and then Moses performed all the miracles in front of the people. 31 They believed, and when they heard that the Lord had come to them and had seen how they were being treated cruelly, they bowed down and worshiped.
موسى يصنع المعجزات
1 فقالَ موسى لِلرّبِّ: «هُم لا يُصَدِّقونَني ولا يسمَعُونَ لِكلامي، بل يقولونَ: لم يظهَرْ لكَ الرّبُّ». 2 فأجابَهُ الرّبُّ: «ما هذِهِ الّتي في يَدِكَ؟» قالَ: «عصا». 3 قالَ: «ألقِها على الأرضِ». فألقاها على الأرضِ فصارَت حَـيَّةً. فهَربَ موسى مِنْ وجهِها. 4 فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «مُدَّ يَدَكَ وأمسِكْ ذنَبَها». فمَدَّ موسى يَدَهُ فأمسَكَها، فعادَت عصا في يَدِهِ. 5 وقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «تفعَلُ هذِهِ المُعجِزَةَ ليُصَدِّقوا أنَّ الرّبَّ ظَهرَ لكَ، وهوَ إلهُ آبائِهم، إلهُ إبراهيمَ وإسحَقَ ويعقوبَ». 6 وقالَ لَه الرّبُّ أيضا: «أدخِلْ يَدَكَ في جَيـبِكَ». فأدخَلَ يَدَهُ في جَيـبِهِ ثُمَّ أخرَجَها، فإذا هيَ بَرصاءُ كالثَّلجِ. 7 فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «رُدَّ يَدَك إلى جَيـبِكَ». فرَدَّ يَدَهُ إلى جَيـبِهِ ثُمَّ أخرَجَها فَعادَت كسائِرِ بَدَنِه. 8 قالَ لَه: «إنْ كانوا لا يُصَدِّقونَكَ ولا يَقتَنِعونَ بِالمُعجِزَةِ الأُولى، فبِالمُعجِزَةِ الثَّانيةِ يقتَنِعونَ. 9 وإنْ كانُوا لا يُصَدِّقونَ هاتَينِ المُعجِزَتَينِ ولا يسمعونَ لِكلامِكَ، فَخُذْ مِنْ ماءِ النَّهرِ واسْكُبْ على الأرضِ، فيَصيرَ الماءُ الّذي تأخُذُه مِنَ النَّهرِ دَما».
هرون ينطق باسم موسى
10 فقال موسى للرّبِّ: «يا ربُّ! ما كُنتُ يوما رَجُلا فصيحا. لا بالأمسِ ولا مِنْ يومَ كَلَّمْتَني أنا عبدَكَ بل أنا بطيءُ النُّطْقِ وثقيلُ اللِّسانِ». 11 فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «مَنِ الذي خلَقَ للإنسانِ فَما؟ ومَنِ الّذي خلَقَ الأخرسَ أوِ الأصمَّ أوِ البَصيرَ أوِ الأعمى؟ أما هوَ أنا الرّبُّ؟ 12 فاذهَبْ وأنا أُعينُكَ على الكلامِ وأُعَلِّمُكَ ما تقولُ». 13 فقالَ موسى: «يا ربُّ! أرسِلْ أحدا غَيري». 14 فغَضِبَ الرّبُّ على موسى غضَبا شديدا وقالَ لَه: «أعرِفُ هرونَ اللاَّويَّ أخاكَ أنَّه فصيحُ اللِّسانِ وها هوَ الآنَ خارِجٌ لِلقائِكَ وحينَ يراكَ يفرَحُ في قلبِه. 15 فَكلِّمْهُ أنتَ بِما تُريدُ أنْ يَنطِقَ بِهِ، وأنا أُعينُكُما على ما تقولانِه وأُعلِّمُكُما وأُريكُما ما تعمَلانِه. 16 هوَ يُخاطِبُ الشَّعبَ عَنكَ ويَنطِقُ باسمِكَ، وأنتَ تكونُ لَه كأنَّكَ اللهُ يُوحي إليه. 17 وخُذْ بِيَدِكَ هذِهِ العصا، فبِها تصنَعُ المُعجِزاتِ».
موسى يرجع إلى مصر
18 فرَجَعَ موسى إلى يَثرونَ حَميِّهِ وقالَ لَه: «دَعْني أرجِـعُ إلى بَني قومي الّذينَ في مِصْرَ لأرى هل هُم أحياءُ بَعدُ». فأجابَهُ يَثرونُ: «إذهَبْ بِسلامٍ». 19 وقالَ الرّبُّ لِموسى في مِدْيانَ: «إرجِـعْ إلى مِصْرَ، لأنَّ جميعَ الّذينَ يُريدونَ قَتلَكَ ماتوا». 20 فأخذَ موسى امرأتَه ووَلدَيهِ وأركبَهُم على الحميرِ ورَجعَ إلى أرضِ مِصْرَ. وأخذَ موسى عصا اللهِ بِيَدِهِ.
21 وقالَ الرّبُّ لموسى: «أنتَ راجِـعٌ إلى مِصْرَ، فاصْنَعْ أمامَ فِرعَونَ جميعَ العَجائبِ الّتي جَعَلْتُكَ قادِرا على صُنْعِها وأنا أُقسِّي قلبَه فلا يُطلِقُ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ مِنَ البلادِ. 22 وقُلْ لِفِرعَونَ هذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ: «إِسرائيلُ ابْني البِكْرُ. 23 أقولُ لكَ: أطلِقِ ابْني مِنْ مِصْرَ لِـيعبُدَني وإنْ رفَضْتَ أنْ تُطلِقَهُ أقتُلِ ابنَكَ البِكْرَ».
موسى يختن ابنه
24 وبـينما موسى في الطَّريقِ لاقاهُ الرّبُّ في مكانٍ لِلمَبـيتِ وحاولَ أنْ يُميتَه. 25 فأخذَت صَفُّورَةُ امرأتُه صَوَّانَةً فختَنَتِ ابنَها ومسَّت بِها رِجلَي موسى وقالت: «أنتَ الآنَ عريسُ دَمٍ لي». 26 فعَفَّ عَنهُ الرّبَّ عِندَما قالت: «عريسُ دَمٍ لي»، مِنْ أجلِ الخِتانِ.
لقاء موسى وهرون
27 وقالَ الرّبُّ لهَرونَ: «إذهَبْ إلى البرِّيَّةِ لِلِقاءِ موسى». فذَهبَ ولَقِـيهُ في جبَلِ اللهِ فقبَّلهُ. 28 فأخبَر موسى هرونَ بجميعِ ما كلَّمَهُ بِهِ الرّبُّ حينَ أرسَلَه، وبجميعِ المُعجِزاتِ الّتي أمَرَهُ بها. 29 فذَهبَ موسى وهرونُ وجمعا شُيوخَ بَني إِسرائِيلَ كُلَّهُم. 30 وخاطَبَهُم هرونُ بجميعِ ما كلَّمَ الرّبُّ بهِ موسى. ثُمَّ صنَعَ موسى المُعجزاتِ أمامَ عُيونِ الشَّعبِ 31 فآمَنوا. ولمَّا سمِعوا أنَّ الرّبَّ تفقَّدَ بَني إِسرائيلَ ورأى ما يُعانُونَه مِنَ الذُلِّ، ركَعوا ساجِدينَ.