Exodus 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have made you like a God to Pharaoh; Aaron will be your prophet.[a] 2 You will tell him what I have commanded you. Aaron, your brother, will tell Pharaoh to permit the children of Israel to leave his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt and I will make my hosts leave Egypt, the children of Israel, with great acts of judgment.
5 “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the children of Israel out from their midst.”
6 Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded them to do. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
The Plagues of Egypt[b]
Aaron’s Staff Turned into a Snake. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourself by performing a wondrous deed,’ you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh and it will become a serpent.’ ” 10 Moses and Aaron then went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them to do. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Pharaoh gathered the wise men and sorcerers and even the magicians of Egypt. With their magic they did the same thing. 12 Each one threw his staff and the staffs became serpents, but the staff of Aaron swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.14 First Plague: Water Turned into Blood.[c] The Lord said to Moses, “The heart of Pharaoh is hardened. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water and stand in front of him on the Nile riverbank and take the staff in your hand that was changed into a serpent. 16 Then you will tell him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, ‘Let my people go so that they can serve me in the desert. Up to now you have not obeyed.’ 17 The Lord says, ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters of the Nile with the staff that I have in my hand, and they will change into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid so that the Egyptians will not be able to drink from the Nile.” ’ ”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, their ponds, and over all their supplies of water. They will turn into blood and there will be blood in all of the land of Egypt, even in their wood and stone jars.’ ”
20 Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters of the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the waters of the Nile changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water. There was blood in the entire land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt, with their magic, did the same thing. The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.[d] 23 Pharaoh turned his back on them and went into his house and did not even pay attention to these things. 24 All the Egyptians dug along the Nile to find water to drink because they could not drink the water in the Nile.
25 Second Plague: The Frogs. Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. 26 [e]The Lord said to Moses, “Go to speak to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go to serve me. 27 If you refuse to let them go, then I will strike your land with frogs. 28 The Nile will swarm with frogs. They will come out and go into your houses, into the rooms where you sleep and up on your beds, into the houses of your ministers and your people, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 29 The frogs will come out and climb over you and your ministers.” ’ ”
Footnotes
- Exodus 7:1 A prophet is one who speaks in the name of another (here: Moses).
- Exodus 7:8 Bits from various traditions are skillfully combined to show the gradual hardening of Pharaoh and the increasing misfortunes that this brings upon Egypt. The ten “plagues” have for their purpose to show the character of the God in whose name Moses bids Pharaoh to release the Hebrews, but whom the proud “son of the sun” claims he does not know (Ex 5:2). This God is mightier than all the magicians of Egypt; he can command every creature, and his power extends not only to Israel but to the land of the Nile and its inhabitants.
8
These very colorful narratives profile the struggle between the Lord and the forces of evil. Pharaoh personifies the human freedom that is opposed to the divine plan but that God makes use of to realize his plan. We should not be surprised that tradition has systematized and amplified these events to better manifest the greatness and power of the Lord. - Exodus 7:14 Moses appears as a prophet; he is the Lord’s spokesperson.
- Exodus 7:22 God allowed the magicians to imitate Moses who turned the Nile into blood, but did not have the power to reverse the miracle (i.e., change the blood into water).
- Exodus 7:26 The power of the God of Israel begins to impress Pharaoh.
Exodus 7
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
7 And the Lord said to Moses: Behold I have appointed thee the God of Pharao: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2 Thou shalt speak to him all that I command thee; and he shall speak to Pharao, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
3 But I shall harden his heart, and shall multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 And he will not hear you: and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and will bring forth my army and my people the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, by very great judgments.
5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, who have stretched forth my hand upon Egypt, and have brought forth the children of Israel out of the midst of them.
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded: so did they.
7 And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharao.
8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:
9 When Pharao shall say to you, shew signs: thou shalt say to Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharao, and it shall be turned into a serpent.
10 So Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharao, and did as the Lord had commanded. And Aaron took the rod before Pharao, and his servants, and it was turned into a serpent.
11 And Pharao called the wise men and the magicians: and they also by Egyptian enchantments and certain secrets did in like manner.
12 And they every one cast down their rods, and they were turned into serpents: but Aaron's rod devoured their rods.
13 And Pharao's heart was hardened, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had commanded.
14 And the Lord said to Moses: Pharao's heart is hardened, he will not let the people go.
15 Go to him in the morning, behold he will go out to the waters: and thou shalt stand to meet him on the bank of the river: and thou shalt take in thy hand the rod that was turned into a serpent.
16 And thou shalt say to him: The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to thee saying: Let my people go to sacrifice to me in the desert: and hitherto thou wouldst not hear.
17 Thus therefore saith the Lord: In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold I will strike with the rods that is in my hand, the water of the river, and it shall be turned into blood.
18 And the fishes that are in the river shall die, and the waters shall be corrupted, and the Egyptians shall be afflicted when they drink the water of the river.
19 The Lord also said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch forth thy hand upon the waters of Egypt, and upon their rivers, and streams and pools, and all the ponds of waters, that they may be turned into blood: and let blood be in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and of stone.
20 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded: and lifting up the rod he struck the water of the river before Pharao and his servants: and it was turned into blood.
21 And the fishes that were in the river died: and the river corrupted, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of the Egyptians with their enchantments did in like manner: and Pharao's heart was hardened, neither did he hear them, as the Lord had commanded.
23 And he turned himself away and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to it this time also.
24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink: for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25 And seven days were fully ended, after that the Lord struck the river.
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