And when one told Moses is literally “And he said unto Moses,” meaning Jethro said. But this is awkward, for Moses and Jethro do not see each other until verse 7. This problem is related to the following word, Lo, which is really I in the Hebrew. (See the footnote in Revised Standard Version.) So the Hebrew has Jethro speaking directly to Moses and saying “I am coming” even before they meet. Revised Standard Version therefore follows the Septuagint, which has “It was reported to Moses, ‘Lo, your father-in-law is coming.’ ”

If one follows the Hebrew and interprets “And he said” to mean “And he sent word,” then no footnote is needed. So New Revised Standard Version now has “He sent word to Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you.’ ” Contemporary English Version has “Jethro sent Moses this message, ‘I am coming to visit you, ….’ ” Good News Translation avoids this problem entirely by condensing the verse and using the pluperfect: “He had sent word to Moses that they were coming.”

Lo, your father-in-law Jethro is coming to you should therefore be read as in New Revised Standard Version, changing Lo to “I,” and changing is to “am.” (Similar are New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, and New International Version.) With your wife and her two sons with her presents no problem, but the pronoun her should be noted, as in verse 3. (See “his sons” and the comment at verse 5.)

It is possible to combine verses 5 and 6 as follows:

• While Moses was staying in the wilderness at [or, by] the holy mountain [or, God’s mountain], Jethro sent someone to him with this message: “I am coming to visit you, and I am bringing your wife and her two sons.” When they arrived, ….

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .