said, "It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee,
neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe
the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will
not believe even these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that
thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry
land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become
blood upon the dry land."

And Moses said unto the Lord, "Oh Lord, I am not eloquent, neither
heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken {146} unto thy servant: for I
am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

And, the Lord said unto him, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh
a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I, the Lord? Now
therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou
shalt speak."

And he said, "Oh Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou
wilt send."

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, "Is
there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well.
And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth
thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak to him, and
put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his
mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy
spokesman unto the people: and it shall come to pass, that he shall be
to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. And thou shalt take
in thine hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs."

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-inn law, and said
unto him, "Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren which are
in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive."

And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt: for all
the men are dead which sought thy life."

{147}{148}

[Illustration]
THE BANKS OF THE NILE NEAR CAIRO
From a photograph owned by Mr. S. E. Bridgman
and used by his kind permission.

The Nile was the life and glory of Egypt. It afforded a magnificent
waterway for commerce, and the annual overflow gave the greatest
fertility to the soil.
[End illustration]

{149}

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he
returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his
hand. And the Lord said to Moses, "When thou goest back into Egypt,
see that thou do before Pha