Turning rods into snakes

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Do one of your amazing acts,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your shepherd’s rod and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will turn into a cobra.’”^[a]

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw down his shepherd’s rod in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a cobra. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh called together his wise men and wizards, and Egypt’s religious experts^[b] did the same thing by using their secret knowledge. ¹² Each one threw down his rod, and they turned into cobras. But then Aaron’s rod swallowed up each of their rods. ¹³ However, Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.