Liber Exodus, 4

1. Respondens Moyses ait: “Quid autem, si non credent mihi ne que audient vocem meam, sed dicent: "Non apparuit tibi Dominus?"”.

1. Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, `The LORD did not appear to you.'"

2. Dixit ergo ad eum: “Quid est quod tenes in manu tua?”. Respondit: “Virga”.

2. The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."

3. Dixitque Dominus: “Proice eam in terram!”. Proiecit, et versa est in serpentem, ita ut fugeret Moyses.

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. Dixitque Dominus: “Extende manum tuam et apprehende caudam eius!”. Extendit et tenuit, versaque est in virgam.

4. But the LORD 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 --

5. “Ut credant, inquit, quod apparuerit tibi Dominus, Deus patrum suorum, Deus Abraham, Deus Isaac et Deus Iacob”.

5. "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."

6. Dixitque Dominus rursum: “Mitte manum tuam in sinum tuum!”. Quam cum misisset in sinum, protulit leprosam instar nivis.

6. Again, the LORD 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.

7. “Retrahe, ait, manum tuam in sinum tuum!”. Retraxit et protulit iterum, et erat similis carni reliquae.

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.

8. “Si non crediderint, inquit, tibi, neque audierint sermonem signi prioris, credent verbo signi sequentis.

8. "If they will not believe you," God said, "or heed the first sign, they may believe 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, quidquid hauseris de fluvio, vertetur in sanguinem”.

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."

10. Ait Moyses: “Obsecro, Domine, non sum eloquens ab heri et nudiustertius et ex quo locutus es ad servum tuum, nam impeditioris et tardioris linguae sum”.

10. But Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue."

11. Dixit Dominus ad eum: “Quis fecit os hominis? Aut quis fabricatus est mutum vel surdum vel videntem vel caecum? Nonne ego?

11. Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

12. Perge igitur, et ego ero in ore tuo; doceboque te quid loquaris”.

12. Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak."

13. At ille: “Obsecro, inquit, Domine, mitte quem missurus es”.

13. But he said, "Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person."

14. Iratus Dominus in Moysen ait: “Aaron, frater tuus Levites, scio quod eloquens sit; ecce ipse egreditur in occursum tuum vidensque te laetabitur corde.

14. Then the anger of the LORD 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.

15. Loquere ad eum et pone verba mea in ore eius; et ego ero in ore tuo et in ore illius et ostendam vobis quid agere debeatis.

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.

16. Ipse loquetur pro te ad populum et erit os tuum; tu autem eris ei ut Deus.

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.

17. Virgam quoque hanc sume in manu tua, in qua facturus es signa”.

17. And you shall take in your hand this rod, with which you shall do the signs."

18. Abiit Moyses et reversus est ad Iethro socerum suum dixitque ei: “Vadam, quaeso, et revertar ad fratres meos in Aegyptum, ut videam, si adhuc vivant”. Cui ait Iethro: “Vade in pace”.

18. Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back, I pray, to my kinsmen in Egypt and see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

19. Dixit ergo Dominus ad Moysen in Madian: “Vade, revertere in Aegyptum; mortui sunt enim omnes, qui quaerebant animam tuam”.

19. And the LORD said to Moses in Mid'ian, "Go back to Egypt; for all the men who were seeking your life are dead."

20. Tulit Moyses uxorem suam et filios suos et imposuit eos super asinum; reversusque est in Aegyptum portans virgam Dei in manu sua.

20. So Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and in his hand Moses took the rod of God.

21. Dixitque ei Dominus revertenti in Aegyptum: “Vide, ut omnia ostenta, quae posui in manu tua, facias coram pharaone; ego indurabo cor eius, et non dimittet populum.

21. And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

22. Dicesque ad eum: Haec dicit Dominus: Filius meus primogenitus Israel.

22. And you shall say to Pharaoh, `Thus says the LORD, Israel is my first-born son,

23. Dico tibi: Dimitte filium meum, ut serviat mihi; si autem non vis dimittere eum, ecce ego interficiam filium tuum primogenitum”.

23. and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me"; if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son.'"

24. Cumque esset in itinere, in deversorio, occurrit ei Dominus et volebat occidere eum.

24. At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to kill him.

25. Tulit ilico Sephora acutissimam petram et circumcidit praeputium filii sui; tetigitque pedes eius et ait: “Sponsus sanguinum tu mihi es”.

25. Then Zippo'rah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!"

26. Et dimisit eum, postquam dixerat: “Sponsus sanguinum”, ob circumcisionem.

26. So he let him alone. Then it was that she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.

27. Dixit autem Dominus ad Aaron: “Vade in occursum Moysi in desertum”. Qui perrexit obviam ei in montem Dei et osculatus est eum.

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

28. Narravitque Moyses Aaron omnia verba Domini, quibus miserat eum, et signa, quae mandaverat.

28. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which he had sent him, and all the signs which he had charged him to do.

29. Veneruntque simul et congregaverunt cunctos seniores filiorum Israel.

29. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.

30. Locutusque est Aaron omnia verba, quae dixerat Dominus ad Moysen, et fecit signa coram populo.

30. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31. Et credidit populus, audieruntque quod visitasset Dominus filios Israel et quod respexisset afflictionem eorum; et proni adoraverunt.

31. And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.