1God told Moses, "Look at me. I'll make you as a god to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2You are to speak everything I command you, and your brother Aaron will tell it to Pharaoh. Then he will release the Israelites from his land.
3At the same time I am going to put Pharaoh's back up and follow it up by filling Egypt with signs and wonders.
4Pharaoh is not going to listen to you, but I will have my way against Egypt and bring out my soldiers, my people the Israelites, from Egypt by mighty acts of judgment.
5The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I step in and take the Israelites out of their country."
6Moses and Aaron did exactly what God commanded.
7Moses was eighty and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8Then God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,
9"When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, 'Prove yourselves. Perform a miracle,' then tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh: It will turn into a snake.' "
10Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what God commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a snake.
11Pharaoh called in his wise men and sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their incantations:
12each man threw down his staff and they all turned into snakes. But then Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.
13Yet Pharaoh was as stubborn as ever—he wouldn't listen to them, just as God had said.
14God said to Moses: "Pharaoh is a stubborn man. He refuses to release the people.
15First thing in the morning, go and meet Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. At the shore of the Nile take the staff that turned into a snake
16and say to him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with this message, "Release my people so that they can worship me in the wilderness." So far you haven't listened.
17This is how you'll know that I am God. I am going to take this staff that I'm holding and strike this Nile River water: The water will turn to blood;
18the fish in the Nile will die; the Nile will stink; and the Egyptians won't be able to drink the Nile water.' "
19God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and wave it over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—so that they turn to blood.' There'll be blood everywhere in Egypt—even in the pots and pans."
20Moses and Aaron did exactly as God commanded them. Aaron raised his staff and hit the water in the Nile with Pharaoh and his servants watching. All the water in the Nile turned into blood.
21The fish in the Nile died; the Nile stank; and the Egyptians couldn't drink the Nile water. The blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations. Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn't listen to them as God had said.
23He turned on his heel and went home, never giving it a second thought.
24But all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they couldn't drink the Nile water.
25Seven days went by after God had struck the Nile.