Exodus 7:8–8:19
Provision of a Wonder: Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake
8 And Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Do a wonder for yourselves,’ you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ” 10 And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded. And Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a snake.
11 And Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did likewise with their secret arts. 12 Each threw down his staff, and they became snakes, and Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.
14 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is ⌊insensitive⌋;f he refuses to release the people. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look, he is going out to the water, and you must wait to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and you must take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 And you must say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Release my people that they may serve me in the desert, and, look, you have not listened until now.” 17 Thus says Yahweh, “By this you will know that I am Yahweh. Look, I am about to strike with the staff that is in my hand the water that is in the Nile, and it will be changed to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.” ’ ”
19 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch your hand out over the waters of Egypt and over their rivers, over their canals, and over their pools and over all of their reservoirs of water, so that they become blood,’ and blood will be in all the land of Egypt and in vessels of wood and of stone.”
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all of the water that was in the Nile was changed to blood. 21 And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, and the Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile, and the blood was in all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did likewise with their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went to his house, and ⌊this also he did not take to heart⌋.g 24 And all of the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they were unable to drink from the water of the Nile.
25 And seven days passed after Yahweh struck the Nile.
8 a And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Release my people so that they may serve me.” 2 And if you are refusing to release, look, I am going to plague all of your territory with frogs. 3 And the Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will go up and come into your house and into your ⌊bedroom⌋b and onto your bed and into the house of your servants and among your people and into your ovens and into your kneading troughs. 4 And the frogs will go up against you and against your people and against all of your servants.’ ”
5 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs went up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did likewise with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt.
8 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to Yahweh, and let him remove the frogs from me and from my people, and let me release the people so that they can sacrifice to Yahweh.” 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “⌊I leave to you the honor⌋c over me. When shall I pray for you and for your servants and for your people to cut off the frogs from you and from your houses? They will be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word so that you will know that there is no one like Yahweh our God. 11 And the frogs will depart from you and from your house and from your servants. They will be left only in the Nile.”
12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to Yahweh over the matter of the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. 14 And they piled them in countless heaps,d and the land stank. 15 And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he made his heart ⌊insensitive⌋,e and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
16 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will become gnatsf in all the land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And he did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and he struck the dust of the land, and it became gnats on the humans and on the animals; all of the dust of the land became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring out the gnats, but they were not able, and the gnats were on the humans and on the animals. 19 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God.” But the heart of Pharaoh was hard, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.