¹⁹ I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let you go except by a mighty hand.^(A)

Israel’s Deliverance Assured

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”^(A)

² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”^(A)

7 The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.^{(A) 2} You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.^{(B) 3} But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.^{(C) 4} When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.^{(D) 5} The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”^{(E) 6} Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.^{(F) 7} Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.^(G)

Aaron’s Miraculous Rod

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a wonder,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ”^{(H) 10} So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.^{(I) 11} Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts.^{(J) 12} Each one threw down his staff, and they became snakes, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up theirs. ¹³ However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.^(K)

The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.^(L)