Exodus 7

God Sends Moses and Aaron to Confront Pharaoh

1 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Look, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.’

2 ‘You are going to tell Aaron everything I command you, and he will tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt.’

3 ‘But I am going to harden Pharaoh’s heart so I can show off all My signs and miracles in Egypt.’

4 ‘Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will handle him with My power and bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’

5 ‘When I bring My people out with My mighty hand, Egypt will know that I am the Lord.’

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

7 Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron was 83 when they started talking to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

8 The Lord told Moses and Aaron,

9 ‘When Pharaoh tells you to prove yourselves, tell Aaron to throw down his staff. It will turn into a snake.’

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord told them. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his crew, and it turned into a snake.

11 Pharaoh called in his magicians and sorcerers, and they did the same thing with their tricks.

12 They threw their staffs down, and those turned into snakes too. But Aaron’s snake swallowed up their snakes.

13 Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen, just like the Lord said.

The First Plague: Water Turns to Blood

14 The Lord told Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.’

15 ‘Go to Pharaoh in the morning. He will be out by the Nile River. Meet him there and take the staff that turned into a snake.’

16 ‘Say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to tell you: Let My people go so they can worship Me in the wilderness. But you did not listen.’

17 ‘This is what the Lord says: By this, you will know I am the Lord. Watch this: I am going to strike the water of the Nile with this staff, and it will turn into blood.’

18 ‘The fish will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will not be able to drink the water.’

19 The Lord told Moses, ‘Tell Aaron to take his staff and stretch it out over all the water in Egypt, the rivers, canals, ponds, and reservoirs. Everywhere in Egypt, the water will turn into blood, even in their buckets and jars.’

20 Moses and Aaron did what the Lord told them. Aaron raised his staff and struck the water in the Nile, and it turned into blood right in front of Pharaoh and his officials.

21 The fish died, the river started stinking, and the Egyptians could not drink the water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

22 But Pharaoh’s magicians did the same thing with their tricks, so Pharaoh’s heart stayed hard, and he would not listen, just like the Lord said.

23 Pharaoh turned and went back to his palace like nothing happened.

24 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were digging along the Nile, looking for clean water to drink, because they could not drink from the river.

25 This went on for seven days after the Lord turned the Nile into blood.