forth thine hand, and take it by the tail." And Moses put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod again.

And God said that He would make Moses able to do this, and many other wonderful signs, in the sight of Pharaoh, and the children of Israel, that they might believe that the Lord had sent him.

But Moses was still afraid to go back to Egypt to lead forth God's people from the hand of Pharaoh. He said that he was of a slow tongue, and could not speak well enough to persuade the children of Israel, or Pharaoh the king, to hearken to him; and he prayed the Lord that He would send some other instead of him.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say."

And God said that Aaron his brother might go with Moses to help him, and speak for him, and that He would be with them, and teach them what they should do.

Exodus iii. & iv.

Chapter XLVI.

THE RETURN OF MOSES TO EGYPT, TO BRING
FORTH THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.

Jethro, his father-inAnd he told Jethro, land of Egypt to see

AFTER the Lord had appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb, Moses returned to law, in the land of Midian. that he must go back to the his brethren. Then Moses took his wife, and his sons, and the rod of God in his hand, and went down towards the land of Egypt.

And God told Aaron to go into the wilderness to meet his brother Moses. And Aaron went, and met Moses at Mount Horeb. And Moses told him all the words of the Lord, and the signs which God had commanded him to do.

Then Moses and Aaron returned to the land of Egypt; and they gathered together the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron told them all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

And all the people believed. And when they

knew that the Lord had seen their affliction, and heard their prayers, and that He had said that He would deliver them, and bring them forth from Egypt, they bowed their heads and worshipped.

After this, Moses and Aaron went in to king Pharaoh, and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go."

And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go."

And Pharaoh was angry with Moses and Aaron. He said that they kept the children of Israel from their work; and he commanded the taskmasters to give them still harder tasks than before. He said to the taskmasters, "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick: let them go and gather straw for themselves."

In Egypt, straw was used in making bricks. The children of Israel had now to go and find straw for themselves. Yet the taskmasters said, that they must make as many bricks as they had done when the straw was given to them. And when they could not do their task of bricks, the

taskmasters said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle,” and beat them.

Then the Lord spake again to Moses, and told him that He would do many signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and deliver His people from the hand of Pharaoh.

The Lord said, "I will bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them." And God told Moses that he should go in again with Aaron unto Pharaoh, and cast his rod before Pharaoh, and it should become a serpent, for a sign that God had sent him.

Then Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and did as the Lord had commanded. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.

And God spake again to Moses, and said that he should go again to Pharaoh, and take in his hand the rod which was turned into a serpent, and meet the king by the river side, and say to

him, "Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned into blood."

And Moses did as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned into blood. And the fish that were in the river died, and the river stank; and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river: and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. All the water in the land was blood for seven days. For seven days there was blood in all the rivers, and in all the ponds, and in all the vessels in the land of Egypt.

But Pharaoh's heart was still hardened, and he would not do as the Lord commanded.

Exodus iv. v. & vii.