Exodus 7 (FBV) · Opened

1The Lord told Moses, “Look, I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.

2You are to repeat everything that I tell you to say, and your brother Aaron must repeat it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites leave his country.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.

3But I will give Pharaoh a stubborn attitude, and though I will perform many signs and wonders in Egypt, he won't listen to you.But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,

4Then I will attack Egypt, imposing heavy punishments on them, and I will lead out by their tribes my people the Israelites.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.

5In this way the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord—when I take action against Egypt and lead the Israelites out of the country.”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.”

6Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered.So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them.

7Moses was eighty and Aaron was eighty-three when they went and spoke to Pharaoh.Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8The Lord told Moses and Aaron,The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

9“When Pharaoh asks you, ‘Why don't you perform a miracle, then?’ tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh,’ and it will turn into a snake.”“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.”

10Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had ordered. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a snake.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.

11But Pharaoh called in wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts.But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.

12Each of them threw down their walking sticks and they also turned into snakes, but Aaron's walking stick swallowed up all their walking sticks.Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

13But Pharaoh had a hard, stubborn attitude, and he wouldn't listen to them, as the Lord had predicted.Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

14The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh has a stubborn attitude—he's refusing to let the people go.Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.

15So tomorrow morning go to Pharaoh as he walks down to the river. Wait to meet him on the bank of the Nile. Take with you the walking stick that turned into a snake.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.

16Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me in the desert. But you have not listened up until now.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.

17This is what the Lord is now telling you: This is how you will know that I am the Lord.’” “Watch! Using the walking stick I'm holding, I'm going to hit the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.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.

18The fish in the Nile will die, the river will smell, and the Egyptians won't be able to drink any of its water.”The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’”

19The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick in your hand and hold it out over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers and canals and ponds and pools, so that they will turn to blood. There will be blood through all of Egypt, even in containers made of wood and stone.’”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.”

20Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered. While Pharaoh and all his officials watched, Aaron lifted up his walking stick and hit the water of the Nile. Immediately the whole river turned to blood!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.

21The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so awful that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood through all of Egypt!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.

22But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts. Pharaoh maintained his stubborn attitude and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.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.

23Pharaoh went back to his palace and didn't pay any attention to what had happened.Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart.

24All the Egyptians dug alongside the Nile because they couldn't drink its water.So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river.

25Seven days went by after the Lord hit the Nile.And seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

God Commands Moses and Aaron

Aaron’s Staff

The First Plague: Blood

You’ve read Exodus 7

Go deeper

God Commands Moses and Aaron

Aaron’s Staff

The First Plague: Blood

You’ve read Exodus 7

Go deeper