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.

So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made 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 send the children of Israel 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 harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders 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 heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

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.”

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

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

Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did.

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

And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. Aaron’s Miraculous Rod

8 T he Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

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 speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it 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 in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before 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.

But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

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

For every man threw down 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

And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. The First Plague: Waters Become Blood

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

So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; 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, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; 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 you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!

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: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, 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.”’”

And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.”’”

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.’”

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

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

The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So 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.

Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, 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 was his heart moved by this.

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

So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.

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

And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.