1 T he Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh. Your brother Aaron will be the one who speaks for you.

The Lord said to Moses, Behold, I make you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

2 Y ou will speak all that I tell you. Your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his land.

You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.

3 B ut I will make Pharaoh’s heart hard. So I will do many powerful works for the people to see in the land of Egypt.

And I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn and hard, and multiply My signs, My wonders, and miracles in the land of Egypt.

4 P haraoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt. By great acts that will punish the Egyptians, I will bring out My family groups, My people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt.

But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt and bring forth My hosts, My people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

5 T he Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I put My hand upon Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.

6 S o Moses and Aaron did what the Lord told them to do.

And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded them.

7 M oses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. Aaron’s Special Walking Stick

Now Moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 T he Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

9 “ When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by doing a powerful work,’ then you say to Aaron, ‘Take your special stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh so that it will become a snake.’”

When Pharaoh says to you, Prove by a miracle, then tell Aaron, Throw your rod down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.

10 S o Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did just as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw his stick down in front of Pharaoh and his servants and it became a snake.

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

11 T hen Pharaoh called for his wise men and wonder-workers. They did the same thing using their secret ways.

Then Pharaoh called for the wise men and the sorcerers (wizards and jugglers). And they also, these magicians of Egypt, did similar things with their enchantments and secret arts.

12 F or each one threw down his stick and it became a snake. But Aaron’s special stick ate their sticks.

For they cast down every man his rod and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

13 Y et Pharaoh’s heart was hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. Water Becomes Blood

But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and stubborn and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

14 T he Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is not changed. He will not let the people go.

Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hard and stubborn; he refuses to let the people go.

15 G o to Pharaoh in the morning when he is going out to the water. Wait for him beside the Nile River. Take in your hand the special stick that became a snake.

Go to Pharaoh in the morning; he will be going out to the water; wait for him by the river’s brink; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

16 A nd say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, so they may worship Me in the desert. But see, you have not yet listened.”

And say to 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; and behold, heretofore you have not listened.

17 S o the Lord says, “By this you will know that I am the Lord. I will hit the water of the Nile with the special stick that is in my hand. And the water will be changed to blood.

Thus says the Lord, In this you shall know, recognize, and understand that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod in my hand the waters in the River, and they shall be turned to blood.

18 T he fish that are in the Nile will die. And the Nile will have a bad smell. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the Nile.”’”

The fish in the river shall die, the river shall become foul smelling, and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink from it.

19 T hen the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your special stick and put your hand out over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their pools, and all their man-made lakes of water, so they will become blood. There will be blood through all the land of Egypt, even in pots of wood and pots of stone.’”

And the Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, rivers, pools, and ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, in containers both of wood and of stone.

20 M oses and Aaron did what the Lord had told them. Aaron raised the special stick and hit the water of the Nile in front of Pharaoh and his servants. And all the water in the Nile was turned into blood.

Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded; lifted up the rod and smote the waters in the river in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the waters in the river were turned to blood.

21 T he fish that were in the Nile died. And the Nile had a bad smell. So the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. The blood was through all the land of Egypt.

And the fish in the river died; and the river became foul smelling, and the Egyptians could not drink its water, and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 B ut the wonder-workers of Egypt did the same thing using their secret ways. And Pharaoh’s heart was hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their enchantments and secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was made hard and obstinate, and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

23 T hen Pharaoh turned and went into his house, without even thinking what had happened.

And Pharaoh turned and went into his house; neither did he take even this to heart.

24 A nd all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink. For they could not drink the water of the Nile.

And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the.

25 S even days passed after the Lord had hit the Nile.

Seven days passed after the Lord had smitten the river.