« | Exodus 4 | » |
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice, for they will say, LORD has not appeared to thee.
2 And LORD said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground. And it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.
4 And LORD said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand),
5 that they may believe that LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to thee.
6 And LORD said furthermore to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.
7 And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.)
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, that thou shall take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
10 And Moses said to LORD, Oh, LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou have spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And LORD said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, LORD?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shall speak.
13 And he said, Oh, LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou will send.
14 And the anger of 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 comes forth to meet thee, and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 And thou shall 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,
16 and he shall be thy spokesman to the people. And it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shall be to him as God.
17 And thou shall take this rod in thy hand, with which thou shall do the signs.
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
19 And LORD said to Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead who sought thy life.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 And LORD said to Moses, When thou go back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
22 And thou shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says LORD, Israel is my son, my first-born,
23 and I have said to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.
24 And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet. And she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood thou are to me.
26 So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood thou are, because of the circumcision.
27 And LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of LORD with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had ordered him.
29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.
30 And Aaron spoke all the words which LORD had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31 And the people believed. And when they heard that LORD had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
A Conservative Version (ACV)
A Conservative Version (ACV) of the Bible is a translation that aims to provide a conservative and literal interpretation of the biblical texts. Developed with a focus on maintaining fidelity to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, the ACV emphasizes a word-for-word translation methodology. The goal is to preserve the subtleties and nuances of the original languages as accurately as possible. This approach results in a version of the Bible that seeks to remain true to the text's original meaning and context, appealing to readers who prioritize precision and doctrinal integrity.
The text of the Old Testament for A Conservative Version (ACV) came from the American Standard Version published in 1901. The main changes done for the ACV were the replacement of archaic words with more modern ones, except for the old English pronouns, which were kept because they are more communicative. The New Testament was translated from, The New Testament in the Original Greek According to the Byzantine-Majority Text form. That edition was compiled by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, and is of the Textus Receptus tradition from which came the King James Version.
The ACV was created in response to what its translators saw as a trend toward more liberal or dynamic-equivalence translations that prioritize readability over literal accuracy. The translators aimed to produce a text that adheres closely to the original languages, even if this makes the translation more challenging for contemporary readers. This reflects their belief in the importance of preserving the exact words and phrases used in the original scriptures. The ACV also employs traditional theological terminology and phrasing, avoiding modern slang and colloquial expressions in favor of language that conveys the gravity and solemnity of the biblical message.
While the ACV has found appreciation among conservative circles, it has faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and difficulty. Critics argue that its strict adherence to a word-for-word translation can make the text less readable and accessible, potentially alienating readers unfamiliar with the original languages or who prefer a more fluid translation. Despite these criticisms, the ACV remains a valued translation for those who prioritize a conservative and literal approach to Bible interpretation, supporting their doctrinal views with a text they believe closely reflects the original scriptures.