< Exodus 7 >
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Look, 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, and I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring forth my regiments, 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 forth my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel 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 staff, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.'"
10 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his staff 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 in like manner with their secret arts.
12 For they cast down every man his staff, and they became serpents: but Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.
13 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not 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. Look, he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the staff which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.
16 You shall tell 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:" and look, until now you haven't listened.
17 Thus says the LORD, "In this you shall know that I am the LORD. Look, I will strike with the staff 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 shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river."'"
19 The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff, 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.'"
20 Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the staff, 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; 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.
22 The magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as the LORD had spoken.
23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.
24 All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn't drink of the water of the river.
25 Seven days were fulfilled, after the LORD had struck the river.
