1Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.2You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt,4he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.5And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.’6Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them.7Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s staff becomes a snake
8The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,9‘When Pharaoh says to you, “Perform a miracle,” then say to Aaron, “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,” and it will become a snake.’10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.11Pharaoh then summoned the wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:12each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.13Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The plague of blood
14Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.15Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.16Then say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.17This is what the Lord says: by this you will know that I am the Lord: with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.18The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” ’19The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt – over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs – and they will turn to blood.” Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels[1] of wood and stone.’20Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.21The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.22But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.23Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart.24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
The plague of frogs
25Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.
Exodus 7
English Standard Version
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
1And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. (Ge 20:7; Ex 4:16; 1Sa 9:9)2You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. (Ex 4:15; Ex 6:29)3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, (Ex 4:21; Ex 11:9; Ps 78:43; Ps 105:26; Ps 135:9)4Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.5The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” (Ex 7:17; Ex 8:10; Ex 8:22; Ex 14:4; Ex 14:18)6Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.7Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. (De 29:5; De 31:2; De 34:7; Ac 7:23; Ac 7:30)8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,9“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” (Isa 7:11; Joh 2:18; Joh 4:48; Joh 6:30)10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.11Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. (Ge 41:8; Ex 7:12; Ex 7:22; Ex 8:7; Ex 8:18; Ex 9:11; 2Ti 3:8)12For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.13Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (Ex 7:3)
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.15Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. (Ex 4:2; Ex 4:3; Ex 4:17; Ex 8:20; Ex 9:13; Ex 17:5)16And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. (Ex 3:12; Ex 3:18; Ex 5:1; Ex 5:3; Ex 9:1; Ex 9:13)17Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. (Ex 4:9; Ex 7:5; Re 16:4)18The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” (Ex 7:21; Ex 7:24)19And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” (Ex 8:5; Ex 8:16; Ex 9:22; Ex 10:12; Ex 10:21; Ex 14:16; Ex 14:21; Ex 14:26)20Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. (Ex 17:9; Ps 78:44; Ps 105:29)21And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (Ex 7:18; Ex 7:24)22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (Ex 7:3; Ex 7:11; Ex 7:13)23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.25Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.