Exodus Chapter 7

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

            ¹ The LORD told him,

“I’m making you like God to him, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. ² Say what I tell you, and Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let Israel leave his country. ³ But I’ll harden his heart so I can multiply my signs and wonders. ⁴ When he won’t listen to you, I’ll lay my hand on Egypt and take out my people with tremendous acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians will know I’m the LORD.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron did what he said. ⁷ Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.       

Ex 6:28-7:7

⁸ The LORD told Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to work a miracle, throw down your staff, and it’ll become a snake.” ¹⁰ They went to Pharaoh. Aaron threw down his staff for him and his officers to see, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. ¹² Each one threw down his staff, and it turned into a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up theirs. ¹³ Pharaoh’s heart was still hardened, and he wouldn’t listen.                  

Ex 7:8-13

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ The LORD told Moses,

“Pharaoh is stubborn and refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ In the morning, go meet him on the bank of the Nile. Take the staff that turned into a snake ¹⁶ and say, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews sent me, “Let my people go to serve me in the open country,” but you’ve ignored me. ¹⁷ This is how you’ll know I’m the LORD: I’ll strike the water in the Nile with my staff, and it’ll turn to blood. ¹⁸ The fish will die, and it’ll stink. The Egyptians won’t be able to drink it.”’”

¹⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Have Aaron hold his staff out over the water in Egypt’s rivers, canals, pools, and reservoirs so it will turn to blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt, even in wood and stone containers.” Ex 7:14-19

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did that. He struck the water in the Nile with his staff for Pharaoh and his officers to see, and the water turned to blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile died, and it stunk. The Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere in Egypt. ²² But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he wouldn’t listen.

²³ Pharaoh returned to his palace without concerning himself with that either. ²⁴ The Egyptians dug along the Nile for water because they couldn’t drink the water in it. ²⁵ A week went by.

Ex 7:20-25