Exo 7 | LSB | STEP | Then Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I set you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.

‏ Exodus 7

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I ^{▼▼Lit give}set you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart with stiffness that I may multiply My signs and My ^{▼▼Or miraculous wonders, cf. 7:9}wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you. And I will ^{▼▼Lit give}set My hand upon Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did it; as Yahweh commanded them, thus they did. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Serpent

8 And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘ ^{▼▼Lit Show a wonder for yourselves}Work a miraculous wonder,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a ^{▼▼Or dragon, sea monster, supernatural foe}serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as Yahweh had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and ^{▼▼Lit before his}his ^{▼▼Or slaves; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”}servants, and it became a ^{▼▼Or dragon, sea monster, supernatural foe}serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the ^{▼▼Or soothsayer priests}magicians of Egypt, did ^{▼▼Lit thus}the same with their secret arts. 12 And each one threw down his staff, and they became ^{▼▼Or dragon, sea monster, supernatural foe}serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was ^{▼▼Lit strengthened}hardened with strength, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.

The Plague of Water Turning to Blood

14 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is ^{▼▼Or glorified, cf. 14:4; lit heavy}hard with firmness; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning ^{▼▼Lit behold}as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” 17 Thus says Yahweh, “By this you shall know that I am Yahweh: behold, I am about to strike ^{▼▼Lit upon the waters}the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will ^{▼▼Or have a bad smell}become foul, and the Egyptians will be weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ” 19 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their ^{▼▼Or canals}streams, and over their pools and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”

20 So Moses and Aaron did thus, as Yahweh had commanded. And he raised up ^{▼▼Lit with the staff}the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. 21 And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile ^{▼▼Had a bad smell}became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22 Yet the ^{▼▼Or soothsayer priests}magicians of Egypt did ^{▼▼Lit thus}the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was ^{▼▼Lit strengthened}hardened with strength, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his heart even on this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile. 25 And seven full days ^{▼▼Lit were fulfilled}passed after Yahweh had struck the Nile.