Exodus
Chapter 7
1 God said to Moses, “Look, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your spokesperson.”
2 You will say everything I tell you, and your brother Aaron will tell the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go from his land.
3 I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and increase my miracles and amazing acts in Egypt.
4 But the king of Egypt will not listen to you, so I can use my power against Egypt, to lead my forces and my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt with strong acts of judgment.
5 The Egyptians will understand that I am God when I reach out my hand over Egypt and take the Israelites out from among them.
6 Moses and Aaron did what God told them.
7 Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron was 83 years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 God spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
9 When the king of Egypt asks you for a miracle, tell Aaron to throw his staff down in front of the king, and it will become a snake.
10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as God had ordered: Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a snake.
11 Then the king of Egypt called for the wise men and the magicians, and they also did the same things using their magic.
12 Everyone threw down their rods, which turned into snakes, but Aaron’s rod ate their rods.
13 God made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, so he did not listen to them, just as God had said.
14 God told Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he won’t let the people go.”
15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning; he will go to the water; stand by the river until he arrives; and take the staff that turned into a snake in your hand.
16 Tell him, “God of the Hebrews sent me to you with this message: ‘Let my people go so they can worship me in the desert.’ But so far, you haven’t listened.”
17 God says, “By this you will know that I am God: see, I will hit the water in the river with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.”
18 The fish in the river will die, the river will smell bad, and the Egyptians will hate to drink the river’s water.
19 God spoke to Moses, “Tell Aaron to take his stick and hold out his hand over the waters of Egypt—their rivers, canals, ponds, and all their water pools—so they will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt, even in wooden and stone containers.”
20 Moses and Aaron did as God commanded. Aaron raised the staff and struck the waters in the river, with Pharaoh and his officials watching. All the river water turned to blood.
21 The fish in the river died; the river smelled bad, and the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water; there was blood all over Egypt.
22 The Egyptian magicians did the same with their magic tricks, but Pharaoh’s heart became stubborn and he did not listen to them, just as God had said.
23 Pharaoh turned, went into his house, and paid no attention to this either.
24 All the Egyptians dug near the river for drinking water because they couldn’t drink the river water.
25 Seven days passed after God struck the river.