1 Y ahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

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

2 Y ou 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.

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

3 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

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

4 B ut Pharaoh will not listen to you, and 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.

Pharaoh 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.

5 T he Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

The 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.”

6 M oses and Aaron did so. As Yahweh commanded them, so they did.

So Moses and Aaron did what the Lord told them to do.

7 M oses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

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

8 Y ahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

9 “ When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.’”

“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.’”

10 M oses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

So 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.

11 T hen Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.

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

12 F or they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

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

13 P haraoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.

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

14 Y ahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.

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

15 G o to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, 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.

Go 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.

16 Y ou shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, 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, until now you haven’t listened.

And 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.”

17 Y ahweh says, “In this you shall know that I am Yahweh. 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.

So 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.

18 T he fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.”’”

The 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.”’”

19 Y ahweh 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; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

Then 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.’”

20 M oses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh 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.

Moses 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.

21 T he fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.

The 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.

22 T he magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.

But 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.

23 P haraoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.

Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house, without even thinking what had happened.

24 A ll the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water.

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

25 S even days were fulfilled, after Yahweh had struck the river.

Seven days passed after the Lord had hit the Nile.