Exodus

7 Then said Yahweh unto Moses—See! I have appointed thee to be God unto Pharaoh,—and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet!

2 Thou shalt speak all that which I may command thee, and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, and he shall let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

3 But I will suffer Pharaoh to harden his heart,—so will I multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

4 And Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, so will I lay my hand on Egypt,—and bring forth my hosts—my people, the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt with great judgments.

5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have stretched forth my hand over Egypt,—and brought forth the sons of Israel out of their midst.

6 And Moses and Aaron did [so],—as Yahweh commanded them, so did they.

7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old,—when they spake unto Pharaoh.

8 And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:

9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you saying, Shew for yourselves a wonder, then shalt thou say unto Aaron, Take thy staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, let it become a sea-serpent.

10 So Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and did so as Yahweh had commanded,—and Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a sea-serpent.

11 Then called Pharaoh also for the wise men and for the magicians,—and they too, the sacred scribes of Egypt with their secret arts, did in like manner;

12 yea they cast down each man his staff, and they became sea-serpents,—but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staves.

13 Then waxed bold the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them,—as spake Yahweh.

14 Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Dull is the heart of Pharaoh,—he hath refused to let the people go.

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning—lo! he is coming out to the waters, therefore shalt thou station thyself to meet him on the bank of the river,—and the staff which was turned into a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.

16 Then shalt thou say unto him—Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying,—Let my people go, that they may serve me in the desert,—And lo! thou hast not hearkened hitherto.

17 Thus saith Yahweh, Hereby shalt thou know that I am Yahweh,—Lo! I am smiting with the staff that is in my hand upon the waters that are in the river and they shall be turned to blood;

18 and the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall be loathsome,—and the Egyptians shall disdain to drink water out of the river.

19 And Yahweh said unto Moses,—Say unto Aaron—Take thy staff, and stretch forth thy hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, and over their pools, and over all their collections of water—that they may become blood,—so shall there be blood in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.

20 And Moses and Aaron did so as Yahweh commanded, and he lifted high the staff and smote the waters which were in the river, before the eyes of Pharaoh, and before the eyes of his servants,—and all the waters which were in the river were turned to blood;

21 and the fish that was in the river died, and the river became loathsome, so that the Egyptians could not drink water out of the river,—thus came it to pass that blood was in all the land of Egypt.

22 And the sacred scribes of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts,—so the heart of Pharaoh waxed bold and he hearkened not unto them, as spake Yahweh.

23 Then Pharaoh turned away and entered into his house—neither applied he his heart even to this.

24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink,—for they could not drink of the water of the river.

25 And seven days were fulfilled,—after Yahweh had smitten the river.