Signs for Moses
1Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you”?’
2Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’
‘A staff,’ he replied.
3The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4Then the Lord said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’ So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5‘This,’ said the Lord, ‘is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you.’
6Then the Lord said, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous4:6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin. – it had become as white as snow.
7‘Now put it back into your cloak,’ he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8Then the Lord said, ‘If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.’
10Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’
11The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’
13But Moses said, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’
14Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17But take this staff in your hand so that you can perform the signs with it.’
Moses returns to Egypt
18Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, ‘Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.’
Jethro said, ‘Go, and I wish you well.’
19Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, ‘Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.’ 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21The Lord said to Moses, ‘When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22Then say to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so that he may worship me.’ But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.” ’
24At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses4:24 Hebrew him and was about to kill him. 25But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it.4:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said. 26So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said ‘bridegroom of blood’, referring to circumcision.)
27The Lord said to Aaron, ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.
29Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped.
Awurade Tumi Ho Nsɛnkyerɛnne
1Na Mose buaa no se, “Sɛ wɔannye me anni anaa wɔantie asɛm a mɛka no, na wɔka se, ‘Awurade nyii ne ho adi nkyerɛɛ wo ɛ?’ ”
2Awurade bisaa no se, “Dɛn na wukura yi?”
Obuae se, “Oguanhwɛfo pema.”
3Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Tow kyene fam.”
Enti ɔtow kyenee fam ma ɛdan ɔwɔ. Mose guan fii aboa no ho. 4Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “So ɔwɔ no dua mu na kyere no!” Osoo ne dua mu kyeree no no, ɛsan dan pema no. 5Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Kɔyɛ saa na wobegye wo adi. Ɛbɛma wɔahu sɛ wɔn agyanom Abraham, Isak ne Yakob Nyankopɔn ada ne ho adi akyerɛ wo ampa.”
6Afei, Awurade kae se, “Fa wo nsa hyɛ wʼatade mu.” Mose de ne nsa hyɛɛ nʼatade mu, na oyii no, na kwata ayɛ ne nsa ho; ayɛ fitaa sɛ sukyerɛmma.
7Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no bio se, “Fa wo nsa hyɛ wʼatade mu bio.” Enti Mose san de ne nsa hyɛɛ nʼatade mu, na oyii no, na kwata no agyae ama ne nsa no ho ayɛ sɛnea ɛte kan no.
8Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Sɛ wɔannye anwonwade a edi kan no anni a, wobegye nea ɛto so abien no adi. 9Na sɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne abien yi akyi no wɔannye wo anni a, kɔsaw nsu fi Asubɔnten Nil mu na behwie gu asase wosee bi so na ɛbɛdan mogya.”
10Nanso Mose srɛe se, “Awurade, minnim kasa. Ebesi nnɛ anaa efi bere a wo ne me kasae mpo no, mʼano ntew.”
11Awurade bisaa no se, “Hena na ɔyɛɛ onipa ano? Ɛnyɛ me Awurade na meyɛe? Hena na ɔbɔ onipa ma otumi kasa anaa ɔmma no nkasa. Hena na ɔma no hu ade anaa ɔmma no nhu ade. Hena na ɔma no tumi te asɛm anaa ɔmma no nte asɛm? 12Afei kɔ, na kɔyɛ nea maka akyerɛ wo no na mɛboa wo ama woatumi akasa yiye, na mɛkyerɛ wo nea wobɛka nso.”
13Nanso Mose kae se, “Awurade wʼakoa resrɛ wo, soma onipa foforo.”
14Awurade bo fuwii, enti ɔkaa se, “Na wo nua Aaron, Lewini no nso ɛ, minim sɛ nʼano atew. Na hwɛ ɔno na ɔrebehyia wo no, na sɛ ohu wo a, nʼani begye. 15Wobɛkasa akyerɛ no na woaka nsɛm ahyɛ nʼanom; mɛboa mo baanu no ama moakasa, na makyerɛ mo nea mobɛyɛ. 16Ɔbɛyɛ wo kyeame wɔ ɔman no anim, na wo nso woayɛ sɛ ne Nyankopɔn aka asɛm a wopɛ sɛ ɛda gua akyerɛ no. 17Sɛ worekɔ a, fa wo pema no sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, wubetumi de ayɛ anwonwade a makyerɛ wo no.”
18Mose kɔɔ fie kɔka kyerɛɛ nʼase Yetro se, “Mɛsrɛ wo kwan na makɔ Misraim akɔsra mʼabusuafo akɔhwɛ sɛ wɔtete ase ana.”
Yetro penee so se, “Kɔ. Mihyira wo kosɛkosɛ.”
19Ansa na Mose rebefi Midian no, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Nsuro sɛ wobɛsan akɔ Misraim, efisɛ wɔn a na wɔrehwehwɛ wo akum wo no nyinaa awuwu.” 20Enti Mose faa ne yere ne ne mma de wɔn tenatenaa mfurum so sii mu sɛ ɔrekɔ Misraim. Na ɔfaa Onyankopɔn pema no kitae.
21Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “Sɛ wudu Misraim a, kɔ Farao hɔ na kɔyɛ anwonwade a makyerɛ wo yi kyerɛ no, nanso mepirim ne koma sɛnea ɔremma nnipa no nkɔ. 22Na ka kyerɛ no se, ‘Awurade se, Israel yɛ mʼabakan 23na mehyɛɛ wo sɛ, “Ma no kwan na ɔnkɔ na ɔnkɔsom me.” Nanso woampene; nti mekum wʼabakan.’ ”
24Mose ne nʼabusuafo nam no, ade saa wɔn ma wɔpɛɛ baabi dae. Awurade daa ne ho adi kyerɛɛ Mose na ohunahunaa no sɛ obekum no. 25Enti ne yere Sipora faa sekan de twaa ne babarima kumaa twetia tow kyenee Mose nan ase kae se, “Mogya ayeforokunu ne wo.” 26Enti Awurade gyaa Mose. (Na Sipora kae se, “Woyɛ mogya ayeforokunu,” a na ɔde rekyerɛ twetiatwa.)
27Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Aaron se, “Kɔ sare no so kohyia Mose.” Enti Aaron kɔɔ Onyankopɔn Bepɔw no so kohyiaa Mose few nʼafono. 28Na Mose kaa nsɛm a Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no bere a ɔresoma no no ne anwonwade a ɔhyɛɛ no sɛ ɔnyɛ no nyinaa kyerɛɛ Aaron.
29Mose ne Aaron hyiaa Israelfo mpanyimfo no nyinaa, 30na Aaron kaa nsɛm a Awurade aka akyerɛ Mose no nyinaa kyerɛɛ wɔn, na Mose yɛɛ anwonwade no kyerɛɛ wɔn 31ma wogye dii. Na wɔtee sɛ Awurade dwen wɔn ho na wahu wɔn awerɛhowdi no, wobuu nkotodwe sɔree no.
