Exodus 7

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The LORD answered him, "See! I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall act as your prophet.	1 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, I have appointed you as the god of Pharaoh. And Aaron, your brother, will be your prophet.
2 You shall tell him all that I command you. In turn, your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave his land.	2 You will speak to him all that I command you. And he will speak to Pharaoh, so that he may release the sons of Israel from his land.
3 Yet I will make Pharaoh so obstinate that, despite the many signs and wonders that I will work in the land of Egypt,	3 But I will harden his heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 he will not listen to you. Therefore I will lay my hand on Egypt and by great acts of judgment I will bring the hosts of my people, the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt,	4 and he will not listen to you. And I will send my hand over Egypt, and I will lead my army and my people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt, through very great judgments.
5 so that the Egyptians may learn that I am the LORD, as I stretch out my hand against Egypt and lead the Israelites out of their midst."	5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, who has extended my hand over Egypt, and who has led the sons of Israel from their midst.”
6 Moses and Aaron did as the LORD had commanded them.	6 And so, Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had instructed. And so it was done.
7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.	7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The LORD told Moses and Aaron,	8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:
9 "If Pharaoh demands that you work a sign or wonder, you shall say to Aaron: Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will be changed into a snake."	9 “When Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Show signs,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff, and cast it down before Pharaoh, and it will be turned into a snake.’ ”
10 Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it was changed into a snake.	10 And so Moses and Aaron entered to Pharaoh, and they did just as the Lord had commanded. And Aaron took the staff in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and it was turned into a snake.
11 Pharaoh, in turn, summoned wise men and sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did likewise by their magic arts.	11 Then Pharaoh called the wise men and the sorcerers. And they also, by Egyptian incantations and certain secrets, did similarly.
12 Each one threw down his staff, and it was changed into a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.	12 And each one cast down their staffs, and they were turned into serpents. But the staff of Aaron devoured their staffs.
13 Pharaoh, however, was obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold.	13 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had instructed.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh is obdurate in refusing to let the people go.	14 Then the Lord said to Moses: “The heart of Pharaoh has been hardened; he is not willing to release the people.
15 Tomorrow morning, when he sets out for the water, go and present yourself by the river bank, holding in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent.	15 Go to him in the morning; behold, he will go out to the waters. And you will stand to meet him above the bank of the river. And you will take, in your hand, the staff that was turned into a serpent.
16 Say to him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with the message: Let my people go to worship me in the desert. But as yet you have not listened.	16 And you will say to him: ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you, saying: Release my people in order to sacrifice to me in the desert. And even until the present time, you were not willing to listen.
17 The LORD now says: This is how you shall know that I am the LORD. I will strike the water of the river with the staff I hold, and it shall be changed into blood.	17 Therefore, thus says the Lord: In this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike, with the staff that is in my hand, the water of the river, and it will be turned into blood.
18 The fish in the river shall die, and the river itself shall become so polluted that the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water."	18 Also, the fishes that are in the river will die, and the waters will be polluted, and the Egyptians will be afflicted when they drink the water of the river.’ ”
19 The LORD then said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt--their streams and canals and pools, all their supplies of water--that they may become blood. Throughout the land of Egypt there shall be blood, even in the wooden pails and stone jars."	19 The Lord also said to Moses: “Say to Aaron: ‘Take your staff; and extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, and over their rivers and streams and marshes and all the pools of waters, so that they may be turned into blood. And let there be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, as much in vessels of wood as in those of stone.’ ”
20 Moses and Aaron did as the LORD had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters of the river in full view of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water of the river was changed into blood.	20 And Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had instructed. And lifting up the staff, he struck the water of the river in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. And it was turned into blood.
21 The fish in the river died, and the river itself became so polluted that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.	21 And the fishes that were in the river died, and the river was polluted, and the Egyptians were not able to drink the water of the river, and there was blood throughout the entire land of Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same by their magic arts. So Pharaoh remained obstinate and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had foretold.	22 And the sorcerers of the Egyptians, with their incantations, did similarly. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had instructed.
23 He turned away and went into his house, with no concern even for this.	23 And he turned himself away, and he entered his house, neither did he apply his heart to this turn of events.
24 All the Egyptians had to dig in the neighborhood of the river for drinking water, since they could not drink the river water.	24 Then all the Egyptians dug along the borders of the river for water to drink. For they were not able to drink from the water of the river.
25 Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.	25 And seven days were completed, after the Lord struck the river.
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him: Thus says the LORD: Let my people go to worship me.
27 If you refuse to let them go, I warn you, I will send a plague of frogs over all your territory.
28 The river will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and into your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your servants, too, and your subjects, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls.
29 The frogs will swarm all over you and your subjects and your servants."