Exodus 7

1 And the Lord said to Moses, “Look — I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 2 You will speak to him everything I command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, so that he sends the children of Israel out of his land. 3 But I will make Pharaoh’s heart hard, and I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 And Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt, and I will bring out my people, the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt with my power and with a great punishment. 5 And all the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, stretching out my hand over Egypt; and I will bring the children of Israel out from among them.” 6 And Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them — so they did. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron his brother eighty-three when he spoke to Pharaoh.

8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “If Pharaoh says to you, ‘Give us a sign or a wonder,’ then say to Aaron your brother: Take the staff and throw it on the ground in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants — and it will become a serpent.” [a] 10 So Moses and Aaron went in before Pharaoh and his servants and did just as the Lord had commanded them. And Aaron threw down the staff in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh called together the wise men of Egypt and the sorcerers; and the chanters of the Egyptians did the same thing by their sorceries. [b] 12 Each one threw down his staff, and they became serpents — and Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 But Pharaoh’s heart stood firm, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had told them. [c]

14 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart has grown heavy: he will not send the people out. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. He will be going out to the water. Stand and meet him on the bank of the river, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake. 16 And say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, Send my people out, so that they may serve me in the wilderness — and look, you have not listened until now. 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord. Look — I am striking the water in the river with the staff in my hand, and it will turn into blood. 18 And the fish in the river will die, and the river will stink, and the Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron your brother: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt — over their rivers and over their canals and over their marshes and over every standing pool of theirs — and it will be blood.” And there was blood in all the land of Egypt, in the wooden vessels and in the stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. He lifted the staff and struck the water in the river in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants, and all the water in the river turned to blood. 21 And the fish in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was in all the land of Egypt. 22 And the chanters of the Egyptians did the same thing by their sorceries. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his mind even to this. 24 And all the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, and they could not drink water from the river. 25 And seven days were filled up after the Lord struck the river.