4:18 1 So Moses went back 2 to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may return 3 to my relatives 4 in Egypt and see 5 if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 4:19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back 6 to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 7 4:20 Then Moses took 8 his wife and sons 9 and put them on a donkey and headed back 10 to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 4:21 The Lord said 11 to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, 12 see that you 13 do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. 14 But I will harden 15 his heart 16 and 17 he will not let the people go. 4:22 You must say 18 to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says 19 the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn, 20 4:23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve 21 me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, 22 I will surely kill 23 your son, your firstborn!”’”
4:24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night, 24 the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. 25 4:25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses’ feet, 26 and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood 27 to me.” 4:26 So the Lord 28 let him alone. (At that time 29 she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” referring to 30 the circumcision.)
4:27 The Lord said 31 to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God 32 and greeted him with a kiss. 33 4:28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had 34 sent him and all the signs that he had commanded him. 4:29 Then Moses and Aaron went and brought together all the Israelite elders. 35 4:30 Aaron spoke 36 all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people, 4:31 and the people believed. When they heard 37 that the Lord had attended to 38 the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground. 39