Exode 7
La Bible du Semeur
Dieu révèle à Moïse ce qu’il va faire
7 L’Eternel dit à Moïse : Regarde ! Je te fais Dieu pour le pharaon, et ton frère Aaron te servira de prophète. 2 Toi, tu diras tout ce que je t’ordonnerai, et ton frère Aaron le répétera au pharaon pour qu’il laisse partir les Israélites de son pays. 3 Et moi, je rendrai le pharaon inflexible et je multiplierai les signes miraculeux et les prodiges en Egypte[a], 4 mais il ne vous écoutera pas. Alors j’interviendrai en Egypte et j’en ferai sortir mon peuple, les Israélites, comme une armée en bon ordre, en exerçant de terribles jugements. 5 Les Egyptiens sauront ainsi que je suis l’Eternel, quand j’interviendrai en Egypte pour en faire sortir les Israélites.
6 Moïse et Aaron firent exactement tout ce que l’Eternel leur avait commandé. 7 Moïse avait quatre-vingts ans et Aaron quatre-vingt-trois lorsqu’ils allèrent parler au pharaon.
Le bâton d’Aaron changé en serpent
8 L’Eternel dit à Moïse et Aaron : 9 Si le pharaon vous demande de faire un miracle, toi, Moïse, tu diras à Aaron : « Prends ton bâton et jette-le devant le pharaon », et il se transformera en serpent !
10 Moïse et Aaron se rendirent chez le pharaon et agirent comme l’Eternel le leur avait ordonné. Aaron jeta son bâton devant le pharaon et ses hauts fonctionnaires et celui-ci se transforma en serpent. 11 Alors le pharaon fit convoquer ses sages et ses magiciens[b], et les enchanteurs d’Egypte accomplirent le même miracle par leurs sortilèges : 12 chacun d’eux jeta son bâton à terre qui se transforma en serpent ; cependant le bâton d’Aaron avala les leurs. 13 Malgré cela, le pharaon, le cœur obstiné, refusa de les écouter, comme l’Eternel l’avait dit.
Premier fléau : l’eau changée en sang
14 L’Eternel dit à Moïse : Le pharaon est trop entêté pour laisser partir le peuple. 15 Va le trouver demain matin à l’heure où il sortira pour aller au bord de l’eau. Tu te tiendras sur son passage sur la rive du Nil[c]. Prends dans ta main le bâton qui a été changé en serpent, 16 et tu lui diras : « L’Eternel, le Dieu des Hébreux, m’a envoyé vers toi pour te dire : Laisse aller mon peuple pour qu’il me rende un culte dans le désert. Mais jusqu’à présent, tu as fait la sourde oreille. 17 C’est pourquoi l’Eternel te déclare : Voici comment tu sauras que je suis l’Eternel : Avec le bâton que j’ai à la main, je vais frapper les eaux du Nil et elles se changeront en sang. 18 Les poissons qui vivent dans le fleuve périront et le Nil deviendra si infect que les Egyptiens ne pourront plus en boire l’eau. »
19 L’Eternel dit encore à Moïse : Ordonne à Aaron de prendre son bâton et d’étendre sa main en direction de tous les cours d’eau de l’Egypte : ses rivières, ses canaux, ses étangs et tous ses réservoirs, et leur eau se changera en sang, il y aura du sang dans tout le pays d’Egypte jusque dans les récipients de bois ou de pierre.
20 Moïse et Aaron exécutèrent les ordres de l’Eternel. Aaron leva le bâton et frappa l’eau du Nil sous les yeux du pharaon et de ses hauts fonctionnaires, et toute l’eau du fleuve fut changée en sang. 21 Les poissons périrent et le fleuve devint si infect que les Egyptiens ne purent plus en boire l’eau. Il y avait du sang dans tout le pays.
22 Mais les magiciens égyptiens en firent autant par leurs sortilèges. Le pharaon s’obstina dans son cœur et ne céda pas, comme l’Eternel l’avait dit. 23 Il leur tourna le dos et rentra dans son palais sans prendre la chose à cœur. 24 Tous les Egyptiens creusèrent le sol aux alentours du Nil pour trouver de l’eau potable puisqu’ils ne pouvaient plus boire l’eau du fleuve.
Deuxième fléau : les grenouilles
25 Sept jours s’écoulèrent après que l’Eternel eut frappé le fleuve. 26 Puis l’Eternel ordonna à Moïse : Va trouver le pharaon et dis-lui : « Voici ce que l’Eternel t’ordonne : Laisse aller mon peuple pour qu’il me rende un culte. 27 Si tu refuses de le laisser aller, je vais envoyer une invasion de grenouilles sur tout ton territoire[d]. 28 Le Nil fourmillera de grenouilles, elles en sortiront et pénétreront dans ton palais, dans ta chambre à coucher, sur ton lit et dans la maison de tes hauts fonctionnaires, et dans celle de tes sujets, dans tes fours et dans tes pétrins. 29 Les grenouilles grimperont sur toi, sur tes hauts fonctionnaires et sur tes sujets. »
Footnotes
- 7.3 Voir Ac 7.36.
- 7.11 Voir Gn 41.8. Selon la tradition, deux des magiciens qui s’opposèrent à Moïse s’appelaient Jannès et Jambrès (voir 2 Tm 3.8). Le premier de ces noms est aussi mentionné dans les manuscrits de la mer Morte.
- 7.15 Le pharaon allait faire ses dévotions au dieu Nil (père des dieux). Toucher au Nil, c’était toucher au cœur de l’Egypte qui, sans lui, n’était plus qu’un désert.
- 7.27 Les différents fléaux manifestent la souveraineté de l’Eternel sur tous les domaines de la création, en particulier sur ceux qui étaient divinisés par les Egyptiens. Ils se sont succédé assez rapidement entre janvier et avril.
Exodus 7
King James Version
7 And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they.
7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
16 And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
17 Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said.
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river.
Exodus 7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 7
1 The Lord answered Moses: See! I have made you a god to Pharaoh,(A) and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.[a] 2 You will speak all that I command you. In turn, your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. 3 Yet I will make Pharaoh so headstrong that, despite the many signs and wonders that I work in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Therefore I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring my armies, my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt. 5 All Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of their midst.
6 This, then, is what Moses and Aaron did. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
III. The Contest with Pharaoh
The Staff Turned into a Serpent. 8 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 9 When Pharaoh demands of you, “Produce a sign or wonder,” you will say to Aaron: “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will turn into a serpent.”(B) 10 Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent. 11 Pharaoh, in turn, summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians(C) of Egypt, did the same thing by their magic arts. 12 Each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 Pharaoh, however, hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had foretold.
First Plague: Water Turned into Blood.[b] 14 Then the Lord said to Moses: Pharaoh is obstinate[c] in refusing to let the people go. 15 In the morning, just when he sets out for the water, go to Pharaoh and present yourself by the bank of the Nile, holding in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.[d] 16 Say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with the message: Let my people go to serve me in the wilderness. But as yet you have not listened. 17 Thus says the Lord: This is how you will know that I am the Lord. With the staff here in my hand, I will strike the water in the Nile and it will be changed into blood.(D) 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile itself will stink so that the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.
19 The Lord then spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—its streams, its canals, its ponds, and all its supplies of water—that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the wooden pails and stone jars.
20 This, then, is what Moses and Aaron did, exactly as the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters in the Nile in full view of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water in the Nile was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile itself stank so that the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same[e] by their magic arts. So Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned away and went into his house, with no concern even for this. 24 All the Egyptians had to dig round about the Nile for drinking water, since they could not drink any water from the Nile.
Second Plague: The Frogs. 25 Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. 26 Then the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh and tell him:(E) Thus says the Lord: Let my people go to serve me. 27 If you refuse to let them go, then I will send a plague of frogs over all your territory. 28 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up and enter into your palace and into your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your servants, too, and among your people, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 29 The frogs will come up over you and your people and all your servants.
Footnotes
- 7:1 Prophet: Hebrew nabi, one who can legitimately speak for God and in God’s name to another or others. Just as God spoke to Moses, so Moses will speak to Aaron, who will be a “prophet” to Pharaoh. Cf. 4:16.
- 7:14–12:30 After a brief preface (vv. 8–13) drawn from the Priestly source, a narrative depicting the series of ten disasters that God brings upon Pharaoh because of his stubbornness ensues. Although most of these disasters, known traditionally as the “ten plagues of Egypt,” could be interpreted as naturally occurring phenomena, they are clearly represented by the biblical authors as extraordinary events indicative of God’s intervention on behalf of Israel and as occurring exactly according to Moses’ commands. See Ps 78:43–51 and 105:27–36 for poetic versions of these plagues, which also differ significantly from the account here.
- 7:14 Pharaoh is obstinate: lit., “Pharaoh’s heart is heavy” (kabed); thus not precisely the same Hebrew idiom as found in vv. 13 and 22, “stubborn,” lit., “Pharaoh’s heart was hard(ened)” (hazaq) (cf. the related idiom with Pharaoh as the object, e.g., 4:21).
- 7:15 The staff that turned into a snake: the allusion is to 4:2–4 rather than 7:9–12. The latter comes from the hand of the Priestly writer and features Aaron—with his staff—as the principal actor.
- 7:22 The Egyptian magicians did the same: this is an exaggeration, presumably influenced by the similar statement in v. 11; whereas the magicians could turn their staffs into snakes after Aaron had done so, after Aaron’s sign there should not have been any water in Egypt still unchanged to blood for the magicians “to do the same” with it (cf. v. 24).
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.