4 ¹ Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'Yahweh did not appear to you.' " 4 ² Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." 4 ³ And he said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 ⁴ But Yahweh said to Moses, "Put out your hand, and take it by the tail" - so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand - 4 ⁵ "that they may 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." 4 ⁶ Again, Yahweh said to him, "Put your hand into your bosom." And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 4 ⁷ Then God said, "Put your hand back into your bosom." So he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 4 ⁸ "If they will not believe you," God said, "or heed the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 4 ⁹ If they will not believe even these two signs or heed your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it upon the dry ground; and the water which you shall take from the Nile will become blood upon the dry ground."

4 ¹⁰ But Moses said to Yahweh, "Oh, my Yahweh, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue." 4 ¹¹ Then Yahweh said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? 4 ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." 4 ¹³ But he said, "Oh, my Yahweh, send, I pray, some other person." 4 ¹⁴ Then the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well; and behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. 4 ¹⁵ And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 4 ¹⁶ He shall speak for you to the people; and he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 4 ¹⁷ And you shall take in your hand this rod, with which you shall do the signs."