Liber Exodus, 4

1. respondens Moses ait non credent mihi neque audient vocem meam sed dicent non apparuit tibi Dominus

1. Moses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee.

2. dixit ergo ad eum quid est hoc quod tenes in manu tua respondit virga

2. Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

3. ait proice eam in terram projecit et versa est in colubrum ita ut fugeret Moses

3. And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent: so that Moses fled from it.

4. dixitque Dominus extende manum tuam et adprehende caudam ejus extendit et tenuit versaque est in virgam

4. And the Lord said: Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod.

5. ut credant inquit quod apparuerit tibi Dominus Deus patrum tuorum Deus Abraham Deus Isaac Deus Jacob

5. That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

6. dixitque Dominus rursum mitte manum in sinum tuum quam cum misisset in sinum protulit leprosam instar nivis

6. And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow.

7. retrahe ait manum in sinum tuum retraxit et protulit iterum et erat similis carni reliquæ

7. And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.

8. si non crediderint inquit tibi neque audierint sermonem signi prioris credent verbo signi sequentis

8. If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.

9. quod si nec duobus quidem his signis crediderint neque audierint vocem tuam sume aquam fluminis et effunde eam super aridam et quicquid hauseris de fluvio vertetur in sanguinem

9. But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river shall be turned into blood.

10. ait Moses obsecro Domine non sum eloquens ab heri et nudius tertius et ex quo locutus es ad servum tuum inpeditioris et tardioris linguæ sum

10. Moses said: I beseech thee, Lord. I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before: and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impediment and slowness of tongue.

11. dixit Dominus ad eum quis fecit os hominis aut quis fabricatus est mutum et surdum videntem et cæcum nonne ego

11. The Lord said to him: Who made man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I?

12. perge igitur et ego ero in ore tuo doceboque te quid loquaris

12. Go therefore and I will be in thy mouth: and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak.

13. at ille obsecro inquit Domine mitte quem missurus es

13. But he said: I beseech thee, Lord send whom thou wilt send.

14. iratus Dominus in Mosen ait Aaron frater tuus Levites scio quod eloquens sit ecce ipse egreditur in occursum tuum vidensque te lætabitur corde

14. The Lord being angry at Moses, said Aaron the Levite is thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee shall be glad at heart.

15. loquere ad eum et pone verba mea in ore ejus ego ero in ore tuo et in ore illius et ostendam vobis quid agere debeatis

15. Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth: and I will be in thy mouth, and in his mouth, and will shew you what you must do.

16. ipse loquetur pro te ad populum et erit os tuum tu autem eris ei in his quæ ad Deum pertinent

16. He shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to him in those things that pertain to God.

17. virgam quoque hanc sume in manu tua in qua facturus es signa

17. And take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.

18. abiit Moses et reversus est ad Jethro cognatum suum dixitque ei vadam et revertar ad fratres meos in Ægyptum ut videam si adhuc vivunt cui ait Jethro vade in pace

18. Moses went his way, and returned to Jethro his father in law and said to him: I will go and return to my brethren into Egypt, that I may see if they be yet alive. And Jethro said to him: Go in peace.

19. dixit ergo Dominus ad Mosen in Madian vade revertere in Ægyptum mortui sunt omnes qui quærebant animam tuam

19. And the Lord said to Moses, in Madian: Go, and return into Egypt: for they are all dead that sought thy life.

20. tulit Moses uxorem et filios suos et inposuit eos super asinum reversusque est in Ægyptum portans virgam Dei in manu sua

20. Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass: and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.

21. dixitque ei Dominus revertenti in Ægyptum vide ut omnia ostenta quæ posui in manu tua facias coram Pharaone ego indurabo cor ejus et non dimittet populum

21. And the Lord said to him as he was returning into Egypt: See that thou do all the wonders before Pharao, which I have put in thy hand: I shall harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

22. dicesque ad eum hæc dicit Dominus filius meus primogenitus meus Israël

22. And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

23. dixi tibi dimitte filium meum ut serviat mihi et noluisti dimittere eum ecce ego interficiam filium tuum primogenitum

23. I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

24. cumque esset in itinere in diversorio occurrit ei Dominus et volebat occidere eum

24. And when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed him.

25. tulit ilico Seffora acutissimam petram et circumcidit præputium filii sui tetigitque pedes ejus et ait sponsus sanguinum tu mihi es

25. Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the fore skin of her son, and touched his feet and said: A bloody spouse art thou to me.

26. et dimisit eum postquam dixerat sponsus sanguinum ob circumcisionem

26. And he let him go after she had said A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.

27. dixit autem Dominus ad Aaron vade in occursum Mosi in deserto qui perrexit ei obviam in montem Dei et osculatus est eum

27. And the Lord said to Aaron: Go into the desert to meet Moses. And he went forth to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28. narravitque Moses Aaron omnia verba Domini quibus miserat eum et signa quæ mandaverat

28. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs that he had commanded.

29. veneruntque simul et congregaverunt cunctos seniores filiorum Israël

29. And they came together, and they assembled all the ancients of the children of Israel.

30. locutusque est Aaron omnia verba quæ dixerat Dominus ad Mosen et fecit signa coram populo

30. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses: and he wrought the signs before the people,

31. et credidit populus audieruntque quod visitasset Dominus filios Israël et quod respexisset adflictionem eorum et proni adoraverunt

31. And the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel: and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored.