Exo 7 | EE | STEP | Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘Look, I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be your prophet.

Exodus 7

1 Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘Look, I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You must say everything that I command you. Your brother Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh must let them go out of his country.’ ^{▼▼7:2 A prophet is a person that speaks God’s words. Aaron would be like a prophet for Moses. He would repeat Moses’ words to the people.}

3 ‘But I will make Pharaoh angry and cruel. He will refuse to listen to you. I will do even more great signs and strange things in the country called Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. Then I will show my authority to Egypt. And I will remove my army, my people the Israelites, out of the country called Egypt. I will lead them out with powerful authority. 5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. They will know this when I judge Egypt. They will know it when I lead the Israelites out of Egypt.’

Moses’ stick becomes a snake

6 So Moses and Aaron obeyed all the commands of the LORD. 7 Now Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh. And Aaron was 83 years old.

8 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said:

9 ‘Pharaoh will say: “Show me one of your special signs.” Then you must say to Aaron: “Take your stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh. It will become a snake.”’

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did everything that the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw down his stick in front of Pharaoh and his servants. And the stick became a snake! 11 Then Pharaoh commanded his clever men to come in. These men, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing as Aaron. They did it by their bad, powerful authority. 12 Each magician threw down his stick and it became a snake. But Aaron’s stick ate their sticks! 13 But still Pharaoh felt angry and cruel. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. This was what the LORD had said would happen. ^{▼▼7:13 A magician does strange, powerful things with Satan‘s help. What they do is called magic. The Egyptians were afraid of snakes and they worshipped them. But Aaron’s stick ate the magicians’ sticks. God was showing them that he is more powerful than magic.}

Moses makes water into blood

14 Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘There is no change in Pharaoh’s thoughts. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes to the river. Wait for him by the edge of the river. Then take in your hand the stick that became a snake. 16 Then say to him: “The LORD, the God of the Israelites has sent me to you. The LORD says: ‘Let my people go. Let them worship me in the desert.’ But until now, you have not listened. 17 So this is what the LORD says: ‘In this way, you will know that I am the LORD. Moses will hit the water with the stick that is in his hand. And the water will become blood. 18 And the fish in the water will die. And the river will have a very bad smell. Then the Egyptians will not want to drink the water from the river.’”’

19 And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Say to Aaron: “Take your stick. Lift up your hand over the waters of Egypt. Lift it up over their rivers and their streams. Lift it up over their ponds and pools of water. They will all become blood. There will be blood in every part of the country called Egypt. There will be blood in all the stone pots. There will be blood also in every bucket that men have made from wood.”’

20 Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD. Aaron lifted up the stick in front of Pharaoh and his servants. He hit the water in the river with the stick. Then all the water in the river became blood. 21 The fish in the river died. The river became bad and the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood in every part of the country called Egypt.

22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their bad powerful authority. So there was no change in Pharaoh’s thoughts. He still refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. The LORD had said that this would happen. 23 Pharaoh turned and he went away into his house. He did not think about what had happened. 24 And the Egyptians dug holes near the river to find water to drink. They could not drink the water from the river itself. ^{▼▼7:24 The river gave the Egyptians all that they needed. It was called the River Nile. It gave water to drink and to put on food plants. At certain times the river rose over the fields and it gave food to the plants. The Egyptians needed the river Nile so that they could live.}

25 Seven days went by after the LORD had made the water in the river into blood.