God Commands Moses and Aaron 1 UEB Yahweh said to Moses, "See, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh. Aaron your brother will be your prophet. BSB BSB: The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2 UEB 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. BSB BSB: You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.
3 UEB But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will display many signs of my power, many wonders, in the land of Egypt. BSB BSB: But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 UEB 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. BSB BSB: Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
5 UEB 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." BSB BSB: And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
6 UEB Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as Yahweh commanded them. BSB BSB: So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them.
7 UEB Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. BSB BSB: Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Staff 8 UEB Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, BSB BSB: The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9 UEB "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.'" BSB BSB: “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.”
10 UEB 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. BSB BSB: So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
11 UEB Then Pharaoh also called for his wise men and sorcerers. They did the same thing by their magic. BSB BSB: But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.
12 UEB Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their snakes. BSB BSB: Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.
13 UEB Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen, just as Yahweh had foretold. BSB BSB: Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
The First Plague: Blood 14 UEB Yahweh said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hard, and he refuses to let the people go. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.
15 UEB 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. BSB BSB: Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.
16 UEB 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." BSB BSB: Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.
17 UEB 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. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.
18 UEB 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."'" BSB BSB: The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”
19 UEB 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.'" BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and all the reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
20 UEB 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. BSB BSB: Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood.
21 UEB 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. BSB BSB: The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 UEB 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. BSB BSB: But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23 UEB Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not even pay attention to this. BSB BSB: Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart.
24 UEB All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, but they could not drink the water of the river itself. BSB BSB: So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river.
25 UEB Seven days passed after Yahweh had attacked the river. BSB BSB: And seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.