Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like Godl to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.m 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,n and though I multiply my signs and wonderso in Egypt, 4 he will not listenp to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgmentq I will bring out my divisions,r my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lords when I stretch out my handt against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commandedu them. 7 Moses was eighty years oldv and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,w’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”x

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,y and the Egyptian magiciansz also did the same things by their secret arts:a 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heartb became hard and he would not listenc to them, just as the Lord had said.