8. “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign.
9. And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
10. But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent — either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant — because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”
11. Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?
12. Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.”
13. Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
14. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and He said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you.
15. You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do.
16. He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him.
17. And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”
18. Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living.”Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19. Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”
20. So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
21. The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go.
22. Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son.