18. Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law. Moses said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt. I want to see if my people are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19. Then, while Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “It is safe for you to go back to Egypt now. The men who wanted to kill you are now dead.”
20. So Moses put his wife and children on the donkey and returned to Egypt. He carried his walking stick with him—the walking stick with the power of God.
21. While Moses was traveling back to Egypt, the Lord spoke to him, “When you talk to Pharaoh remember to show him all the miracles that I have given you the power to do. But I will cause Pharaoh to be very stubborn. He will not let the people go.
22. Then you should say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
23. And I am telling you to let my son go and worship me. If you refuse to let Israel go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”
24. On the way to Egypt, Moses stopped at a place to spend the night. The Lord met Moses at that place and tried to kill him.
25. But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She took the skin and touched his feet. Then she said to Moses, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
26. Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. So God let Moses live.
27. The Lord had spoken to Aaron and told him, “Go out into the desert and meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the Mountain of God. He saw Moses and kissed him.
28. Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say and all the miracles he must do to prove that God had sent him.
29. So Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites.
30. Then Aaron spoke to the people and told them everything the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see,
31. and they believed what they had heard. Then the Israelites understood that the Lord had seen their troubles and had come to help them. So they bowed down and worshiped God.