Moses Before Pharaoh
1 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
"See, I have given you as a god to Pharaoh,
and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.
2 You shall speak all the words which I command you,
and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh,
and he will send forth the children of Israel
from his land."
3 "But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh,
and I will multiply my signs and miracles
against the land of Egypt.
4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you.
So I will give my hand against Egypt,
and I will bring forth the host of my people,
the children of Israel,
from the land of Egypt by great judgments."
5 "Then Egypt will know that I am Yahweh,
when I give my hand against Egypt,
and I will bring forth the children of Israel
from their midst."
6 So Moses and Aaron did,
just as Yahweh commanded them to do,
so they did.
7 Now Moses was eighty years old,
and Aaron was eighty-three years old,
when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 Then Yahweh said to Moses
and Aaron, saying,
9 "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying,
'Show for yourself a miracle,'
then say to Aaron,
'Take your staff
and cast it forth before Pharaoh,
and it will become a dragon."
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh,
and did just as Yahweh commanded.
And Aaron cast forth his staff
before Pharaoh and before his servants,
and it became a dragon.
11 Then Pharaoh also called
to the wise men and the sorcerers,
and the magicians of Egypt did likewise,
with similar trickeries.
12 And each one cast forth his staff
and it became a dragon.
But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.
13 But the heart of
Pharaoh strengthened,
and he did not listen to them,
just as Yahweh said.
The Plague of Blood
14 Then
Yahweh [God] said to Moses,
"The heart of Pharaoh glorifies,
refuses to send the people forth.
15 Go to
Pharaoh [King of Egypt] in the morning.
Behold, he will go out to the water,
and you will stand opposite him
on the bank of the canal.
And you shall take in your hand
the staff that was turned into a snake."
16 "Then say to him,
Yahweh,
the God of the Hebrews
has sent me to you, saying,
'Send forth my people
that they may serve me in the wilderness.'
But behold,
you have not listened before now."
17 "Thus says Yahweh,
'In this you shall know that I Am Yahweh.'"
"Behold, I will smite,
with the staff that is in my hand,
upon the waters that are in the canal,
and they will be turned into blood,
18 and fish that are in the canal shall die,
and the canal will stink,
and the Egyptians will loathe
to drink the water from the canal."
19 Then Yahweh said to Moses,
"Say to Aaron,
'Take your staff,
and put forth your hand
upon the waters of Egypt,
upon their streams,
and upon their rivers,
and upon their ponds,
and upon their pools of water,
and they will become blood.'
And there will be blood
in all the land of Egypt,
in their wooden vessels,
and in their stone vessels."
20 Then Moses and Aaron did so,
just as Yahweh commanded.
Then he lifted up the staff,
and smote the waters
that were in the canal,
in the eyes of Pharaoh,
and in the eyes of his servants.
And all the waters that were in the canal
were turned to blood.
21 And the fish that were in the canal died,
and the canal stank,
and the Egyptians were not able
to drink the water from the canal.
And there was blood
in all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did likewise,
with their trickeries.
But the heart of Pharaoh strengthened,
and he did not listen to them,
just as Yahweh said.
23 Then Pharaoh turned and went to his
house,
and his heart did not regard this either.
24 So all the Egyptians dug around the canal
water to drink,
for they could not drink
from the water of the canal,
25 and were fulfilled seven days,
after Yahweh
[he] had smitten the canal