1 So theLordsaid to Moses: “See, I have made youasGod to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall beyour prophet.
2 Youshall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.
3 AndI will harden Pharaoh’s heart, andmultiply Mysigns and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
4 ButPharaoh will not heed you, sothat I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armiesandMy people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egyptby great judgments.
5 And the Egyptiansshall know that IamtheLord, when Istretch out My hand on Egypt andbring out the children of Israel from among them.”
6 Then Moses and Aarondidso;just as theLordcommanded them, so they did.
7 And Moseswaseighty years old andAaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Miraculous Rod
8 Then theLordspoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying,‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron,‘Take your rod and castitbefore Pharaoh,andlet it become a serpent.’ ”
10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, justas theLordcommanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and itbecame a serpent.
11 But Pharaoh alsocalled the wise men andthe sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they alsodid in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as theLordhad said.
The First Plague: Waters Become Blood
14 So theLordsaid to Moses:“Pharaoh’s heartishard; he refuses to let the people go.
15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to thewater, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; andthe rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.
16 And you shall say to him,‘TheLordGod of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go,that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
17 Thus says theLord: “By thisyou shall know that IamtheLord. Behold, I will strike the waters whicharein the river with the rod thatisin my hand, andthey shall be turnedto blood.
18 And the fish thatarein the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians willloathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
19 Then theLordspoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod andstretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both inbucketsofwood andpitchersofstone.’ ”
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as theLordcommanded. So helifted up the rod and struck the waters thatwerein the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all thewaters thatwerein the river were turned to blood.
21 The fish thatwerein the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptianscould not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 Then the magicians of Egypt didso with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them,as theLordhad said.
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.
24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.
25 And seven days passed after theLordhad struck the river.