³ And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the ^(A)magicians of Egypt, also ^(B)did the same by their secret arts. ¹² For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Still ^(C)Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, ^(D)as the Lord had said.

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. ^15 (E)Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand ^(F)the staff that turned into a ^(G)serpent.

¹⁷ And take in your hand ^(A)this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”