³ And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just ^(A)as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it ^(B)became a serpent.

¹¹ But Pharaoh also ^(C)called the wise men and ^(D)the ^[a]sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also ^(E)did in like manner with their ^[b]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: ^(F)“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 ^(G)water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and ^(H)the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

¹⁷ And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”