³ The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,^(A) and he ran from it.

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,^(A) and the Egyptian magicians^(B) also did the same things by their secret arts:^{(C) 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^(D) became hard and he would not listen^(E) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;^(F) he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.^(G) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,^(H) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.

¹⁷ But take this staff^(A) in your hand^(B) so you can perform the signs^(C) with it.”