Exodus 7

New International Reader's Version

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be like a prophet to you. ²You must say everything I command you to say. Then your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. ³But I will make Pharaoh stubborn. I will multiply the signs and amazing things I will do in Egypt. ⁴In spite of that, he will not listen to you. So I will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march. ⁵Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will reach out my powerful hand against them. I will bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.”

⁶Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. ⁷Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake

⁸The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. ⁹He said, “Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Do a miracle.’ When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.’ It will turn into a snake.”

¹⁰So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw the stick down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake. ¹¹Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and people who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. ¹²Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake. But Aaron’s walking stick swallowed theirs up. ¹³In spite of that, Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh is very stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵In the morning Pharaoh will go down to the Nile River. Go and meet him on the bank of the river. Take in your hand the walking stick that turned into a snake. ¹⁶Say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me in the desert. But up to now you have not listened.” ¹⁷The Lord says, “Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with the walking stick that is in my hand. The river will turn into blood. ¹⁸The fish in the river will die. The river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” ’ ”

¹⁹The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Get your walking stick. Reach your hand out over the waters of Egypt. The streams, canals, ponds and all the lakes will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt. It will even be in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’ ”

²⁰Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all the water turned into blood. ²¹The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.

²²But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. So Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. ²³Even that miracle didn’t change Pharaoh’s mind. In fact, he turned around and went into his palace. ²⁴All the Egyptians dug holes near the Nile River to get drinking water. They couldn’t drink water from the river.