²⁹ Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders^(A) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(B) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(C) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(D) about them and had seen their misery,^(E) they bowed down and worshiped.^(F)

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,^(G) so that they may hold a festival^(H) to me in the wilderness.’”

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

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey^(K) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues^(L) or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?^(M) Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,^(N) and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers^(O) and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;^(P) let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.^(Q) They are lazy;^(R) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(S) 9} Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

Aaron to Speak for Moses

²⁸ Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, ²⁹ he said to him, “I am the Lord.^(A) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

³⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,^(B) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God^(C) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.^{(D) 2} You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,^(E) and though I multiply my signs and wonders^(F) in Egypt, ⁴ he will not listen^(G) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment^(H) I will bring out my divisions,^(I) my people the Israelites. ⁵ And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(J) when I stretch out my hand^(K) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded^(L) them. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old^(M) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,^(N)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”^(O)

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,^(P) and the Egyptian magicians^(Q) also did the same things by their secret arts:^{(R) 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^(S) became hard and he would not listen^(T) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;^(U) he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.^(V) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,^(W) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. ¹⁶ Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship^(X) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.^{(Y) 17} This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:^(Z) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.^{(AA) 18} The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;^(AB) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”^(AC)

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff^(AD) and stretch out your hand^(AE) over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels^[a] of wood and stone.”

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.^(AF) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,^(AG) and all the water was changed into blood.^{(AH) 21} The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

²² But the Egyptian magicians^(AI) did the same things by their secret arts,^(AJ) and Pharaoh’s heart^(AK) became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. ²³ Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. ²⁴ And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water^(AL), because they could not drink the water of the river.