Exodus 7
1 The Lord told Moses, “Look, I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh. Aaron your brother will be your prophet.
2 You are to repeat everything that I tell you to say, and your brother Aaron must repeat it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites leave his country.
You will say everything that I command you to say. Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh so that he will let the people of Israel go from his land.
3 But I will give Pharaoh a stubborn attitude, and though I will perform many signs and wonders in Egypt, he won't listen to you.
But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will display many signs of my power, many wonders, in the land of Egypt.
4 Then I will attack Egypt, imposing heavy punishments on them, and I will lead out by their tribes my people the Israelites.
But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will put my hand on Egypt and bring out my groups of fighting men, my people, the descendants of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of punishment.
5 In this way the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord—when I take action against Egypt and lead the Israelites out of the country.”
The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I reach out with my hand on Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.”
6 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered.
Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as Yahweh commanded them.
7 Moses was eighty and Aaron was eighty-three when they went and spoke to Pharaoh.
Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The Lord told Moses and Aaron,
Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron,
9 “When Pharaoh asks you, ‘Why don't you perform a miracle, then?’ tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh,’ and it will turn into a snake.”
“When Pharaoh says to you, 'Do a miracle,' then you will say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may become a snake.'”
10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had ordered. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a snake.
Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and they did just as Yahweh had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake.
11 But Pharaoh called in wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts.
Then Pharaoh also called for his wise men and sorcerers. They did the same thing by their magic.
12 Each of them threw down their walking sticks and they also turned into snakes, but Aaron's walking stick swallowed up all their walking sticks.
Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their snakes.
13 But Pharaoh had a hard, stubborn attitude, and he wouldn't listen to them, as the Lord had predicted.
Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen, just as Yahweh had foretold.
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh has a stubborn attitude—he's refusing to let the people go.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hard, and he refuses to let the people go.
15 So tomorrow morning go to Pharaoh as he walks down to the river. Wait to meet him on the bank of the Nile. Take with you the walking stick that turned into a snake.
Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Stand on the riverbank to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that had turned into a snake.
16 Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me in the desert. But you have not listened up until now.
Say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. Until now you have not listened.”
17 This is what the Lord is now telling you: This is how you will know that I am the Lord.’” “Watch! Using the walking stick I'm holding, I'm going to hit the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.
Yahweh says this: “By this you will know that I am Yahweh. I am going to strike the water of the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand, and the river will be turned to blood.
18 The fish in the Nile will die, the river will smell, and the Egyptians won't be able to drink any of its water.”
The fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river.”'”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick in your hand and hold it out over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers and canals and ponds and pools, so that they will turn to blood. There will be blood through all of Egypt, even in containers made of wood and stone.’”
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and reach out with your hand over the waters of Egypt, and over their rivers, streams, pools, and all their ponds, so that their water may become blood. Do this so that there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in containers of wood and stone.'”
20 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered. While Pharaoh and all his officials watched, Aaron lifted up his walking stick and hit the water of the Nile. Immediately the whole river turned to blood!
Moses and Aaron did as Yahweh commanded. Aaron raised the staff and struck the water in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the water in the river turned to blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so awful that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood through all of Egypt!
The fish in the river died, and the river began to stink. The Egyptians could not drink water from the river, and the blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts. Pharaoh maintained his stubborn attitude and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their magic. So Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said would happen.
23 Pharaoh went back to his palace and didn't pay any attention to what had happened.
Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not even pay attention to this.
24 All the Egyptians dug alongside the Nile because they couldn't drink its water.
All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, but they could not drink the water of the river itself.
25 Seven days went by after the Lord hit the Nile.
Seven days passed after Yahweh had attacked the river.
