Exodus 4:13

Contemporary English Version

Moses begged, " Lord , please send someone else to do it."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

King James Version
And he said, O my Lord , send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

Lexham English Bible
And he said, "Please, Lord, do send anyone else whom you wish to send."

New Century Version
But Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else."

New English Translation
But Moses said, "O my Lord, please send anyone else whom you wish to send!"

Amplified Bible
But he said, "Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose]."

New American Standard Bible
But he said, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will."

Geneva Bible (1587)
But he saide, Oh my Lorde, sende, I pray thee, by the hande of him, whome thou shouldest sende.

Legacy Standard Bible
But he said, "Please, Lord, send now the message by whomever You will."

Complete Jewish Bible
But he replied, "Please, Lord, send someone else — anyone you want!"

Darby Translation
And he said, Ah Lord! send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.

Easy-to-Read Version
But Moses said, "My Lord, I beg you to send someone else, not me."

English Standard Version
But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else."

George Lamsa Translation
And Moses said to him, O my LORD, send I beseech thee, by the hand of whomsoever thou wilt send.

Good News Translation
But Moses answered, "No, Lord, please send someone else."

Christian Standard Bible®
Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”

Literal Translation
And he said, O Lord, please send by the hand of him whom You will send.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Moses sayde: My LORDE, sende whom thou wilt sende.

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

Bible in Basic English
And he said, O Lord, send, if you will, by the hand of anyone whom it seems good to you to send.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He said: oh my Lorde, sende I pray thee, by the hande of hym whom thou wylt sende.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.'

King James Version (1611)
And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses said, I pray thee, Lord, appoint another able person whom thou shalt send.

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

Berean Standard Bible
But Moses replied, "Please, Lord, send someone else."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide, Lord, Y biseche, sende thou whom thou schalt sende.

Young's Literal Translation
and he saith, `O, my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand Thou dost send.'

Update Bible Version
And he said, Oh, Lord, send, I pray you, by the hand of him whom you will send.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.

World English Bible
He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

New King James Version
But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send."

New Living Translation
But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send anyone else."

New Life Bible
But Moses said, "O Lord, I ask of You, send some other person."

New Revised Standard
But he said, "O my Lord, please send someone else."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - Pardon, O My Lord! send, I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send -

Douay-Rheims Bible
But he said: I beseech thee, Lord, send whom thou wilt send.

Revised Standard Version
But he said, "Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person."

THE MESSAGE
He said, "Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But he said, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will."

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ Moses replied, "I have never been a good speaker. I wasn't one before you spoke to me, and I'm not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say." ¹¹ But the Lord answered, "Who makes people able to speak or makes them deaf or unable to speak? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Don't you know that I am the one who does these things? ¹² Now go! When you speak, I will be with you and give you the words to say." ¹³ Moses begged, " Lord , please send someone else to do it." ¹⁴ The Lord became irritated with Moses and said: What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know he is a good speaker. He is already on his way here to visit you, and he will be happy to see you again. ¹⁵Aaron will speak to the people for you, and you will be like me, telling Aaron what to say. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will tell each of you what to do. ¹⁷ Now take this walking stick and use it to perform miracles.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

send: Exodus 4:1, Exodus 23:20, Genesis 24:7, Genesis 48:16, Judges 2:1, 1 Kings 19:4, Jeremiah 1:6, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 3:14, Ezekiel 3:15, Jonah 1:3, Jonah 1:6, Matthew 13:41, John 6:29

wilt send: or, shouldest

Reciprocal: Genesis 41:35 - hand Numbers 11:26 - went not out Joshua 5:14 - my lord Joshua 24:5 - sent 1 Chronicles 6:15 - by the hand Jeremiah 37:2 - the prophet Daniel 10:16 - my Lord Haggai 1:1 - by Haggai Acts 9:13 - Lord Acts 26:19 - I was not 1 Corinthians 9:17 - against

Cross-References

Job 15:22
Darkness, despair, and death are their destiny.

Revelation 16:9
Everyone was scorched by its great heat, and all of them cursed the name of God who had power over these terrible troubles. But no one turned to God and praised him.

Revelation 16:11
And because of their painful sores, they cursed the God who rules in heaven. But still they did not stop doing evil things.

Revelation 16:21
Hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from the sky on people. Finally, the people cursed God, because the hail was so terrible.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, O my Lord,.... Acknowledging his dominion, his sovereignty, his power to do the above things: or "on me, O Lord" u, be the blame for making such objections; or on me let this work be devolved, since it is thy pleasure:

send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send. Many of the ancient Christian fathers understand it of the Messiah that was to be sent, and as if Moses thought this was a fit time for the sending of him: and so Cocceius is of opinion, that nothing better can be understood, than that Moses desired that God would rather send him, whom Israel expected to be sent, even the Angel that should go before them; of whose mission see Exodus 23:20, but no particular person is intended, unless himself; and the common interpretation is, that God would send a more fit and proper person than he was; and that he would rather send anyone but him, and entreats to be excused; but I see not why this may not be understood of Moses assenting to his mission, and acquiescing in the will of God; as if he should say, since it must be so, the will of the Lord be done, let him send by whom he will, and since it is his pleasure to send by me, I submit; what may seem to contradict this is, the Lord's anger and resentment expressed in the following words; but that might be notwithstanding, since Moses had been so backward and reluctant, and made so many objections before he consented.

u בי אדני "in me", Oleaster.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he said - The reluctance of Moses is in accordance with the inner law of man’s spiritual development, and specially with his own character; but, under the circumstances, it indicated a weakness of faith.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:13. Send - by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. — Many commentators, both ancient and modern, have thought that Moses prays here for the immediate mission of the Messiah; as if he had said: "Lord, thou hast purposed to send this glorious person at some time or other, I beseech thee send him now, for who can be sufficient to deliver and rule this people but himself alone?" The Hebrew שלח נא ביד תשלח shelach na beyad tishlach literally translated is, Send now (or, I beseech thee) by the hand thou wilt send; which seems to intimate, Send a person more fit for the work than I am. So the Septuagint: Προχειρισαι δυναμενον αλλον, ὁν αποστελεις· Elect another powerful person, whom thou wilt send. It is right to find out the Messiah wherever he is mentioned in the Old Testament; but to press scriptures into this service which have not an obvious tendency that way, is both improper and dangerous. I am firmly of opinion that Moses had no reference to the Messiah when he spoke these words.