7
1 The
LORD said to Moses,
“Behold, I have
made you as
God to Pharaoh;
and Aaron your brother
shall be your
prophet.
2 You
shall speak all
that I command
you; and Aaron
your brother shall
speak to Pharaoh,
that he let
the children of
Israel go out
of his land.
3 I
will harden
Pharaoh’s heart,
and multiply
my signs and my
wonders in the land
of Egypt.
4 But
Pharaoh will not
listen to you,
so I will
lay my hand
on Egypt, and
bring out my
armies, my people
the children of
Israel, out of
the land of Egypt
by great judgments.
5 The
Egyptians shall
know that I
am the LORD
when I stretch
out my hand
on Egypt, and
bring the children
of Israel out
from among them.”
6 Moses
and Aaron did so.
As the LORD
commanded them, so
they did.
7 Moses
was eighty years
old, and Aaron
eighty-three years
old, when they
spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The
LORD spoke to
Moses and to Aaron,
saying,
9 “When
Pharaoh speaks to
you, saying, ‘Perform
a miracle!’ then
you shall
tell Aaron, ‘Take
your rod, and
cast it down
before Pharaoh,
and it will
become a
serpent.’ ”
10 Moses
and Aaron went in
to Pharaoh, and
they did so,
as the LORD
had commanded. Aaron
cast down his
rod before Pharaoh
and before his
servants, and it
became a serpent.
11 Then
Pharaoh also
called for the
wise men and
the sorcerers.
They also, the
magicians of Egypt,
did the same
thing with their
enchantments.
12 For they
each cast down
their rods,
and they became
serpents; but Aaron’s
rod swallowed up
their rods.
13 Pharaoh’s
heart was hardened,
and he didn’t
listen to them,
as the LORD
had spoken.
14 The
LORD said to Moses,
“Pharaoh’s heart
is stubborn. He
refuses to let
the people go.
15 Go
to Pharaoh in
the morning.
Behold, he is
going out to
the water. You
shall stand by
the river’s bank
to meet him.
You shall take
the rod which
was turned to
a serpent in
your hand.
16 You
shall tell him, ‘The
LORD, the God
of the Hebrews,
has sent me
to you, saying, “Let
my people go,
that they may
serve me in
the wilderness.
Behold, until now
you haven’t listened.”
17 The
LORD says, “In
this you shall
know that I
am the LORD.
Behold: I will
strike with the
rod that is
in my hand
on the waters
which are in
the river, and
they shall be
turned to blood.
18 The
fish that are
in the river
will die and
the river will
become foul. The
Egyptians will loathe
to drink water
from the
river.” ’ ”
19 The
LORD said to Moses,
“Tell Aaron, ‘Take
your rod, and
stretch out your
hand over the
waters of Egypt,
over their rivers,
over their streams,
and over their
pools, and over
all their ponds of
water, that they
may become blood.
There will be
blood throughout
all the land of
Egypt, both
in vessels of wood
and in vessels
of stone.’ ”
20 Moses
and Aaron did so,
as the LORD
commanded; and he
lifted up the
rod, and struck
the waters that
were in the
river, in the
sight of Pharaoh,
and in the
sight of his
servants; and all
the waters that
were in the
river were turned
to blood.
21 The
fish that were
in the river
died. The river
became foul. The
Egyptians couldn’t drink
water from the
river. The blood
was throughout all
the land of Egypt.
22 The
magicians of Egypt
did the same
thing with their
enchantments. So
Pharaoh’s heart
was hardened, and
he didn’t listen
to them, as
the LORD had
spoken.
23 Pharaoh
turned and went
into his house,
and he didn’t even
take this to
heart.
24 All
the Egyptians dug
around the river
for water to
drink; for
they couldn’t drink
the river water.
25 Seven
days were
fulfilled, after
the LORD had
struck the river.