Exodus 7:1–13

“I Will Stretch Out My Hand”

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “aSee, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.

2 “You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother aAaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

3 “But aI will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may bmultiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

4 “When aPharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bbring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by cgreat judgments.

5 “aThe Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I bstretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”

6 So Moses and Aaron did it; aas the Lord commanded them, thus they did.

7 Moses was aeighty years old and Aaron 1eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Rod Becomes a Serpent

8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘1aWork a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘bTake your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ”

10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and 1his servants, and it abecame a serpent.

11 Then Pharaoh also acalled for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the 1bmagicians of Egypt, did 2the same with ctheir secret arts.

12 For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

13 Yet aPharaoh’s heart was 1hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.