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Exodus 5:22-7:25
New International Version

God Promises Deliverance

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(A) 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(B) 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(C) he will let them go;(D) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(E)

2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(F) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a](G) but by my name(H) the Lord[b](I) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(J) with them to give them the land(K) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(L) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(M) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(N)

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(O) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(P) you with an outstretched arm(Q) and with mighty acts of judgment.(R) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(S) Then you will know(T) 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(U) I swore(V) with uplifted hand(W) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(X) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(Y)

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

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

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

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.(AE)

14 These were the heads of their families[d]:(AF)

The sons of Reuben(AG) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon(AH) were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

16 These were the names of the sons of Levi(AI) according to their records: Gershon,(AJ) Kohath and Merari.(AK) Levi lived 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(AL)

18 The sons of Kohath(AM) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(AN) Kohath lived 133 years.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(AO)

These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

20 Amram(AP) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(AQ) Amram lived 137 years.

21 The sons of Izhar(AR) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(AS) and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(AT) and sister of Nahshon,(AU) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(AV) Eleazar(AW) and Ithamar.(AX)

24 The sons of Korah(AY) were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.

25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.(AZ)

These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt(BA) by their divisions.”(BB) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(BC) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(BD)

Aaron to Speak for Moses

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

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

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God(BG) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.(BH) 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,(BI) and though I multiply my signs and wonders(BJ) in Egypt, 4 he will not listen(BK) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment(BL) I will bring out my divisions,(BM) my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(BN) when I stretch out my hand(BO) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded(BP) them. 7 Moses was eighty years old(BQ) 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,(BR)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”(BS)

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,(BT) and the Egyptian magicians(BU) also did the same things by their secret arts:(BV) 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(BW) became hard and he would not listen(BX) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;(BY) he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.(BZ) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,(CA) 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(CB) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.(CC) 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:(CD) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.(CE) 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;(CF) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”(CG)

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff(CH) and stretch out your hand(CI) 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.(CJ) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,(CK) and all the water was changed into blood.(CL) 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(CM) did the same things by their secret arts,(CN) and Pharaoh’s heart(CO) 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(CP), because they could not drink the water of the river.

The Plague of Frogs

25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  2. Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
  3. Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
  4. Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
  5. Exodus 7:19 Or even on their idols
Listen to Exodus 5:22-7:25
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Exodus 5:22-7:25
New King James Version

Israel’s Deliverance Assured(A)

22 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

God Renews His Promise to Israel

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For (B)with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand (C)he will drive them out of his land.”

2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am [a]the Lord. 3 (D)I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as (E)God Almighty, but by My name (F)Lord[b] I was not known to them. 4 (G)I have also [c]established My covenant with them, (H)to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their [d]pilgrimage, (I)in which they were [e]strangers. 5 And (J)I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: (K)‘I am the Lord; (L)I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will (M)rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with [f]an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will (N)take you as My people, and (O)I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out (P)from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I (Q)swore[g] to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; (R)but they did not heed Moses, because of (S)anguish[h] of spirit and cruel bondage.

10 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

12 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for (T)I am [i]of uncircumcised lips?”

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a (U)command[j] for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Family of Moses and Aaron(V)

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: (W)The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15 (X)And the sons of Simeon were [k]Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of (Y)the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. 17 (Z)The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. 18 And (AA)the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. 19 (AB)The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 Now (AC)Amram took for himself (AD)Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him (AE)Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven. 21 (AF)The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And (AG)the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of (AH)Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him (AI)Nadab, Abihu, (AJ)Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And (AK)the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and (AL)she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.

26 These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their (AM)armies.”[l] 27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, (AN)to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

Aaron Is Moses’ Spokesman

28 And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. (AO)Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, (AP)I am [m]of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

Moses Before Pharaoh

7 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you (AQ)as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be (AR)your prophet. 2 You (AS)shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And (AT)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and (AU)multiply My (AV)signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But (AW)Pharaoh will not heed you, so (AX)that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My [n]armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt (AY)by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians (AZ)shall know that I am the Lord, when I (BA)stretch out My hand on Egypt and (BB)bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

6 Then Moses and Aaron (BC)did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was (BD)eighty years old and (BE)Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Miraculous Rod(BF)

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, (BG)‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, (BH)‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just (BI)as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it (BJ)became a serpent.

11 But Pharaoh also (BK)called the wise men and (BL)the [o]sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also (BM)did in like manner with their [p]enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

The First Plague: Waters Become Blood

14 So the Lord said to Moses: (BN)“Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the (BO)water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and (BP)the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, (BQ)‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, (BR)that they may [q]serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the Lord: “By this (BS)you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and (BT)they shall be turned (BU)to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will (BV)loathe[r] to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”

19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and (BW)stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he (BX)lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the (BY)waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians (BZ)could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 (CA)Then the magicians of Egypt did (CB)so with their [s]enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, (CC)as the Lord had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 6:2 Heb. YHWH
  2. Exodus 6:3 Heb. YHWH, traditionally Jehovah
  3. Exodus 6:4 made or ratified
  4. Exodus 6:4 sojournings
  5. Exodus 6:4 sojourners, temporary residents
  6. Exodus 6:6 Mighty power
  7. Exodus 6:8 promised, lit. lifted up My hand
  8. Exodus 6:9 Lit. shortness
  9. Exodus 6:12 One who does not speak well
  10. Exodus 6:13 charge
  11. Exodus 6:15 Nemuel, Num. 26:12
  12. Exodus 6:26 hosts
  13. Exodus 6:30 One who does not speak well
  14. Exodus 7:4 hosts
  15. Exodus 7:11 soothsayers
  16. Exodus 7:11 secret arts
  17. Exodus 7:16 worship
  18. Exodus 7:18 be weary of drinking
  19. Exodus 7:22 secret arts
Listen to Exodus 5:22-7:25
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Exodus 5:22-7:25
New American Standard Bible

22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “(A)Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, (B)and You have not rescued Your people at all.”

God Promises Action

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for [a](C)under compulsion he will let them go, and [b]under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am (D)the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as [c](E)God Almighty, but by (F)My name, [d]Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 I also established (G)My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the [e]land in which they lived as strangers. 5 Furthermore I have (H)heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘(I)I am the Lord, and (J)I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will also (K)redeem you with (L)an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. 7 Then I will take you [f](M)as My people, and (N)I will be [g]your God; and (O)you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the labors of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land which (P)I [h]swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and (Q)I will give it to you as a possession; (R)I am the Lord.’” 9 So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on (S)account of their [i]despondency and cruel bondage.

10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “(T)Go, [j]tell Pharaoh king of Egypt [k]to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; (U)how then will Pharaoh listen to me, as I am [l](V)unskilled in speech?” 13 Nevertheless, the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a command concerning the sons of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Heads of Israel

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ households. (W)The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15 And the (X)sons of Simeon: [m]Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of (Y)the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the [n]length of Levi’s life was 137 years. 17 (Z)The sons of Gershon: [o]Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18 And (AA)the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the [p]length of Kohath’s life was 133 years. 19 And (AB)the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Now (AC)Amram [q]married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the [r]length of Amram’s life was 137 years. 21 And (AD)the sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And (AE)the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, [s]Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron [t]married Elisheba, the daughter of (AF)Amminadab, the sister of (AG)Nahshon, and she bore him (AH)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 And the (AI)sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and [u]Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25 Now Aaron’s son (AJ)Eleazar [v]married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him (AK)Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. 26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “(AL)Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their [w](AM)multitudes.” 27 They were the ones (AN)who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt [x]about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

28 Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “(AO)I am the Lord; (AP)say to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am [y](AQ)unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

I Will Extend My Hand

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(AR)See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 As for you, you shall speak all that I command you, and your brother (AS)Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But (AT)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may (AU)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 When (AV)Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay My hand on Egypt and (AW)bring out My armies, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by (AX)great judgments. 5 Then (AY)the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I (AZ)extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did this; (BA)as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was (BB)eighty years old and Aaron [z]eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Turns into a Serpent

8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘[aa](BC)Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘(BD)Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may turn into a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and [ab]his servants, and it (BE)turned into a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also (BF)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the (BG)soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with (BH)their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 Yet (BI)Pharaoh’s heart was [ac]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

Water Turned into Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is [ad]stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning [ae]just as (BJ)he is going out to the water, and position yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand (BK)the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And (BL)you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “(BM)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened up to now.” 17 This is what the Lord says: “(BN)By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I am going to strike [af]the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and (BO)it will be turned into blood. 18 Then (BP)the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will [ag](BQ)no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.”’” 19 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and (BR)extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their [ah]streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.’”

20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up [ai](BS)the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and (BT)all the water that was in the Nile was turned into blood. 21 Then the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22 (BU)But the soothsayer priests of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was [aj]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house [ak]with no concern even for this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink from the water of the Nile. 25 Seven days [al]passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 6:1 Lit by a strong hand
  2. Exodus 6:1 Lit by a strong hand
  3. Exodus 6:3 Heb El Shaddai
  4. Exodus 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  5. Exodus 6:4 Lit land of their sojournings in which...
  6. Exodus 6:7 Lit to Me for a people
  7. Exodus 6:7 Lit to you for a God
  8. Exodus 6:8 Lit lifted up My hand
  9. Exodus 6:9 Or impatience
  10. Exodus 6:11 Lit speak to
  11. Exodus 6:11 Lit that he let
  12. Exodus 6:12 Lit uncircumcised of lips
  13. Exodus 6:15 In Num 26:12 and 1 Chr 4:24, Nemuel
  14. Exodus 6:16 Lit years
  15. Exodus 6:17 In 1 Chr 23:7, Ladan
  16. Exodus 6:18 Lit years
  17. Exodus 6:20 Lit took to him as a wife
  18. Exodus 6:20 Lit years
  19. Exodus 6:22 In Num 3:30, Elizaphan
  20. Exodus 6:23 Lit took to him as a wife
  21. Exodus 6:24 In 1 Chr 6:23 and 9:19, Ebiasaph
  22. Exodus 6:25 Lit took to him as a wife
  23. Exodus 6:26 I.e., multitudes in battle formation
  24. Exodus 6:27 Lit to bring out
  25. Exodus 6:30 Lit uncircumcised of lips
  26. Exodus 7:7 Lit 83 years old
  27. Exodus 7:9 Lit Show a wonder for yourselves
  28. Exodus 7:10 Lit before his
  29. Exodus 7:13 Lit strong
  30. Exodus 7:14 Or hard; lit heavy
  31. Exodus 7:15 Lit behold
  32. Exodus 7:17 Lit upon the waters
  33. Exodus 7:18 Lit be weary of
  34. Exodus 7:19 Or canals
  35. Exodus 7:20 Lit with the staff
  36. Exodus 7:22 Lit strong
  37. Exodus 7:23 Lit and he did not set his heart even to this
  38. Exodus 7:25 Lit were fulfilled
Close NLT

Exodus 5:22-7:25
New Living Translation

22 Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”

Promises of Deliverance

6 Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

2 And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’[a] 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’[b]—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. 4 And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. 5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.

6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”

9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.”

12 “But Lord!” Moses objected. “My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker![c]”

13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.

The Ancestors of Moses and Aaron

14 These are the ancestors of some of the clans of Israel:

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their descendants became the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.) Their descendants became the clans of Simeon.

16 These are the descendants of Levi, as listed in their family records: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Levi lived to be 137 years old.)

17 The descendants of Gershon included Libni and Shimei, each of whom became the ancestor of a clan.

18 The descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Kohath lived to be 133 years old.)

19 The descendants of Merari included Mahli and Mushi.

These are the clans of the Levites, as listed in their family records.

20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons, Aaron and Moses. (Amram lived to be 137 years old.)

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. Their descendants became the clans of Korah.

25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to his son, Phinehas.

These are the ancestors of the Levite families, listed according to their clans.

26 The Aaron and Moses named in this list are the same ones to whom the Lord said, “Lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.” 27 It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt.

28 When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord! Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am telling you.” 30 But Moses argued with the Lord, saying, “I can’t do it! I’m such a clumsy speaker! Why should Pharaoh listen to me?”

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Serpent

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. 2 Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. 3 But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. 5 When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does this, say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.[d]’”

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! 11 Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. 12 They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

A Plague of Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn,[e] and he still refuses to let the people go. 15 So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake. 16 Then announce to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Until now, you have refused to listen to him. 17 So this is what the Lord says: “I will show you that I am the Lord.” Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood. 18 The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”

19 Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’”

20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood! 21 The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. 23 Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. 24 Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.

25 Seven days passed from the time the Lord struck the Nile.

Footnotes

  1. 6:2 Yahweh is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered “Jehovah”; in this translation it is usually rendered “the Lord” (note the use of small capitals).
  2. 6:3 El-Shaddai, which means “God Almighty,” is the name for God used in Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3.
  3. 6:12 Hebrew I have uncircumcised lips; also in 6:30.
  4. 7:9 Hebrew tannin, which elsewhere refers to a sea monster. Greek version translates it “dragon.”
  5. 7:14 Hebrew heavy.
Listen to Exodus 5:22-7:25
Close MSG

Exodus 5:22-7:25
The Message

22-23 Moses went back to God and said, “My Master, why are you treating this people so badly? And why did you ever send me? From the moment I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, things have only gotten worse for this people. And rescue? Does this look like rescue to you?”

6 God said to Moses, “Now you’ll see what I’ll do to Pharaoh: With a strong hand he’ll send them out free; with a strong hand he’ll drive them out of his land.”

2-6 God continued speaking to Moses, reassuring him, “I am God. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as The Strong God, but by my name God (I-Am-Present) I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the country in which they lived as sojourners. But now I’ve heard the groanings of the Israelites whom the Egyptians continue to enslave and I’ve remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites:

6-8 “I am God. I will bring you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I’ll take you as my own people and I’ll be God to you. You’ll know that I am God, your God who brings you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I’ll bring you into the land that I promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and give it to you as your own country. I AM God.”

9 But when Moses delivered this message to the Israelites, they didn’t even hear him—they were that beaten down in spirit by the harsh slave conditions.

10-11 Then God said to Moses, “Go and speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he will release the Israelites from his land.”

12 Moses answered God, “Look—the Israelites won’t even listen to me. How do you expect Pharaoh to? And besides, I stutter.”

13 But God again laid out the facts to Moses and Aaron regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he again commanded them to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

The Family Tree of Moses and Aaron

14 These are the heads of the tribes:

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi—these are the families of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Saul, the son of a Canaanite woman—these are the families of Simeon.

16 These are the names of the sons of Levi in the order of their birth: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon by family: Libni and Shimei.

18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be 133.

19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the sons of Levi in the order of their birth.

20 Amram married his aunt Jochebed and she had Aaron and Moses. Amram lived to be 137.

21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.

22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she had Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel and she had Phinehas.

These are the heads of the Levite families, family by family.

26-27 This is the Aaron and Moses whom God ordered: “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt clan by clan.” These are the men, Moses and Aaron, who told Pharaoh king of Egypt to release the Israelites from Egypt.

“I’ll Make You as a God to Pharaoh”

28 And that’s how things stood when God next spoke to Moses in Egypt.

29 God addressed Moses, saying, “I am God. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I say to you.”

30 And Moses answered, “Look at me. I stutter. Why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 1-5 God told Moses, “Look at me. I’ll make you as a god to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to speak everything I command you, and your brother Aaron will tell it to Pharaoh. Then he will release the Israelites from his land. At the same time I am going to put Pharaoh’s back up and follow it up by filling Egypt with signs and wonders. Pharaoh is not going to listen to you, but I will have my way against Egypt and bring out my soldiers, my people the Israelites, from Egypt by mighty acts of judgment. The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I step in and take the Israelites out of their country.”

6-7 Moses and Aaron did exactly what God commanded. Moses was eighty and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

* * *

8-9 Then God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, ‘Prove yourselves. Perform a miracle,’ then tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh: It will turn into a snake.’”

10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what God commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a snake.

11-12 Pharaoh called in his wise men and sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their spells: each man threw down his staff and they all turned into snakes. But then Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.

13 Yet Pharaoh was as stubborn as ever—he wouldn’t listen to them, just as God had said.

Strike One: Blood

14-18 God said to Moses: “Pharaoh is a stubborn man. He refuses to release the people. First thing in the morning, go and meet Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. At the shore of the Nile take the staff that turned into a snake and say to him, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with this message, “Release my people so that they can worship me in the wilderness.” So far you haven’t listened. This is how you’ll know that I am God. I am going to take this staff that I’m holding and strike this Nile River water: The water will turn to blood; the fish in the Nile will die; the Nile will stink; and the Egyptians won’t be able to drink the Nile water.’”

19 God said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and wave it over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—so that they turn to blood.’ There’ll be blood everywhere in Egypt—even in the pots and pans.”

20-21 Moses and Aaron did exactly as God commanded them. Aaron raised his staff and hit the water in the Nile with Pharaoh and his servants watching. All the water in the Nile turned into blood. The fish in the Nile died; the Nile stank; and the Egyptians couldn’t drink the Nile water. The blood was everywhere in Egypt.

22-25 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations. Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them as God had said. He spun around and went home, never giving it a second thought. But all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they couldn’t drink the Nile water.

Seven days went by after God had struck the Nile.

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