Exodus 4:23

Contemporary English Version

and I commanded you to release him, so he could worship me. But you refused, and now I will kill your first-born son."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

King James Version
And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Lexham English Bible
And I said to you, "Release my son and let him serve me," but you refused to release him. Look, I am about to kill your son, your firstborn.'"

New Century Version
I told you to let my son go so he may worship me. But you refused to let Israel go, so I will kill your firstborn son.'"

New English Translation
and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me,' but since you have refused to let him go, I will surely kill your son, your firstborn!"'"

Amplified Bible
"So I say to you, 'Let My son go so that he may serve Me'; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

New American Standard Bible
"So I said to you, 'Let My son go so that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn."'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore I say to thee, Let my sonne go, that he may serue me: if thou refuse to let him goe, beholde, I will slay thy sonne, euen thy first borne.

Legacy Standard Bible
So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

Complete Jewish Bible
I have told you to let my son go in order to worship me, but you have refused to let him go. Well, then, I will kill your firstborn son!"'"

Darby Translation
And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

Easy-to-Read Version
And I am telling you to let my son go and worship me. If you refuse to let Israel go, then I will kill your firstborn son.'"

English Standard Version
and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'"

George Lamsa Translation
And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son.

Good News Translation
I told you to let my son go, so that he might worship me, but you refused. Now I am going to kill your first-born son.'"

Christian Standard Bible®
I told you: Let my son go so that he may worship me, but you refused to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your firstborn son!”

Literal Translation
And I said to you, Send My son away, and let him serve Me; and you refused to send him. Behold, I am about to kill your son, your first-born!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& I saye vnto the: Let my sonne go, yt he maye serue me: Yf thou wilt not let him go, then wil I slaye thy firstborne sonne.

American Standard Version
and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.

Bible in Basic English
And I said to you, Let my son go, so that he may give me worship; and you did not let him go: so now I will put the first of your sons to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I sayde vnto thee, that thou let my sonne go, that he may serue me. And if thou refuse to let him go: beholde, I do slay thy sonne [euen] thy first borne.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.'--

King James Version (1611)
And I say vnto thee, let my sonne goe, that he may serue mee: and if thou refuse to let him goe, behold, I will slay thy sonne, euen thy first borne.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said to thee, Send away my people, that they may serve me: now if thou wilt not send them away, see, I will slay thy fir-born son.

English Revised Version
and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn.

Berean Standard Bible
and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But you have refused to let him go, so I will kill your firstborn son!'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y seide to thee, delyuere thou my sone, that he serue me, and thou noldist delyuere hym; lo! Y schal sle thi firste gendrid sone.

Young's Literal Translation
and I say unto thee, Send away My son, and he doth serve Me; and -- thou dost refuse to send him away -- lo, I am slaying thy son, thy first-born.'

Update Bible Version
and I have said to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and you have refused to let him go: look, I will slay your son, your first-born.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou shalt refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy first-born.

World English Bible
and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

New King James Version
So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.""'

New Living Translation
I commanded you, "Let my son go, so he can worship me." But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!'"

New Life Bible
And I say to you, ‘Let My son go. Let him work for Me.' But if you will not let him go, I will kill your son, your first-born."'"

New Revised Standard
I said to you, "Let my son go that he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son.'"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therefore I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me, But if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I, am going to slay, thy son, thy firstborn.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

Revised Standard Version
and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me"; if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn."'"

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Moses went to his father-in-law Jethro and asked, "Please let me return to Egypt to see if any of my people are still alive." "All right," Jethro replied. "I hope all goes well." ¹⁹ But even before this, the Lord had told Moses, "Leave the land of Midian and return to Egypt. Everyone who wanted to kill you is dead." ²⁰ So Moses put his wife and sons on donkeys and headed for Egypt, holding the walking stick that had the power of God. ²¹ On the way the Lord said to Moses: When you get to Egypt, go to the king and work the miracles I have shown you. But I will make him so stubborn that he will refuse to let my people go. ²² Then tell him that I have said, "Israel is my first-born son, ²³ and I commanded you to release him, so he could worship me. But you refused, and now I will kill your first-born son."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 11:5, Exodus 12:29, Psalms 78:51, Psalms 105:36, Psalms 135:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:2 - the sons Exodus 7:14 - he refuseth Exodus 9:1 - General Exodus 9:2 - General Exodus 14:17 - I will Deuteronomy 14:1 - the children 2 Kings 1:16 - Forasmuch 1 Chronicles 2:42 - his firstborn Isaiah 63:8 - Surely Jeremiah 2:3 - all that Malachi 1:6 - if then

Cross-References

Exodus 20:13
Do not murder.

Leviticus 19:18
Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the Lord , and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.

Numbers 23:18
Balaam answered: "Pay close attention to my words—

Judges 9:7
Jotham heard what they were doing. So he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted down to the people who were there at the meeting: Leaders of Shechem, listen to me, and maybe God will listen to you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I say unto thee, let my son go, that he may serve me,.... Worship God according to his will in the place he had designed for him, and where he might be safe and free; and which service was due from him as a son, and to be performed not in a servile way, but in a filial manner, and therefore as a servant he could demand his dismission, and much more as his son; and this is required in an authoritative way, for saying is here commanding, insisting on it as a point of right to be done:

and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn; meaning, not only in a strict and literal sense Pharaoh's firstborn son, and heir to his crown, but the firstborn of all his subjects, which in a civil sense were his. This was not to be said to Pharaoh at the first opening of his commission to him, but after all methods had been tried, and the several other plagues designed were inflicted on him to no purpose, he was to be told this, which was the last plague, and succeeded; but this is told to Moses before hand, that when other messages he should be sent with to him, and all that should be done by him would prove ineffectual, this, when sent with and performed, would have the desired effect.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 4:23. Let my son go, that he may serve me — Which they could not do in Goshen, consistently with the policy and religious worship of the Egyptians; because the most essential part of an Israelite's worship consisted in sacrifice, and the animals which they offered to God were sacred among the Egyptians. Moses gives Pharaoh this reason Exodus 8:26.

I will slay thy son, even thy first-born. — Which, on Pharaoh's utter refusal to let the people go, was accordingly done; see Exodus 12:29.