Exodus 5-7

New International Version

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,^(A) so that they may hold a festival^(B) to me in the wilderness.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,^(C) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”^(D)

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey^(E) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues^(F) or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?^(G) Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,^(H) and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers^(I) and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;^(J) let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.^(K) They are lazy;^(L) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(M) 9} Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

¹⁰ Then the slave drivers^(N) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. ¹¹ Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced^(O) at all.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,^(P) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? ¹⁶ Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

¹⁷ Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!^(Q) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get to work.^(R) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, ²¹ and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge^(S) you! You have made us obnoxious^(T) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword^(U) in their hand to kill us.”^(V)

God Promises Deliverance

²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?^(W) Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued^(X) your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand^(Y) he will let them go;^(Z) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”^(AA)

² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.^{(AB) 3} I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,^[a](AC) but by my name^(AD) the Lord^[b](AE) I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant^(AF) with them to give them the land^(AG) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.^{(AH) 5} Moreover, I have heard the groaning^(AI) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.^(AJ)

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.^(AK) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem^(AL) you with an outstretched arm^(AM) and with mighty acts of judgment.^{(AN) 7} I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.^(AO) Then you will know^(AP) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land^(AQ) I swore^(AR) with uplifted hand^(AS) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.^(AT) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”^(AU)

⁹ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.^(AV)

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go, tell^(AW) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”^(AX)

¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen^(AY) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips^[c]?”^(AZ)

Family Record of Moses and Aaron

¹³ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.^(BA)

²⁶ It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt^(BW) by their divisions.”^{(BX) 27} They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh^(BY) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.^(BZ)

Aaron to Speak for Moses

²⁸ Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, ²⁹ he said to him, “I am the Lord.^(CA) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

³⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,^(CB) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God^(CC) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.^{(CD) 2} You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,^(CE) and though I multiply my signs and wonders^(CF) in Egypt, ⁴ he will not listen^(CG) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment^(CH) I will bring out my divisions,^(CI) my people the Israelites. ⁵ And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(CJ) when I stretch out my hand^(CK) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded^(CL) them. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old^(CM) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,^(CN)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”^(CO)

¹⁰ So 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. ¹¹ Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,^(CP) and the Egyptian magicians^(CQ) also did the same things by their secret arts:^{(CR) 12} Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart^(CS) became hard and he would not listen^(CT) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;^(CU) he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.^(CV) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,^(CW) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. ¹⁶ Then 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^(CX) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.^{(CY) 17} This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:^(CZ) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.^{(DA) 18} The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;^(DB) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”^(DC)

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff^(DD) and stretch out your hand^(DE) 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^[e] of wood and stone.”

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.^(DF) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,^(DG) and all the water was changed into blood.^{(DH) 21} The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

²² But the Egyptian magicians^(DI) did the same things by their secret arts,^(DJ) and Pharaoh’s heart^(DK) became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. ²³ Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. ²⁴ And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water^(DL), because they could not drink the water of the river.

The Plague of Frogs

²⁵ Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.