Exodus 7

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I have made you as a god for Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron is tobe 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 must say whatever I command you, and your brother Aaron wil repeat to Pharaoh that he is to letthe Israelites leave his country.	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 But I myself shal make Pharaoh stubborn and shall perform many a sign and wonder in Egypt.	3 But I will harden his heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 Since Pharaoh wil not listen to you, I shal lay my hand on Egypt and with great acts of judgement leadmy armies, my people, the Israelites, out 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 And the Egyptians wil know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out my hand against the Egyptians andlead the Israelites out of their country.'	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 exactly as Yahweh had ordered.	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 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,	8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron:
9 'If Pharaoh says to you, "Display some marvel," you must say to Aaron, "Take your staff and throw itdown in front of Pharaoh, and let it turn into a serpent!" '	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 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as Yahweh had ordered. Aaron threw down his staff infront of Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a serpent.	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 Then Pharaoh in his turn called for the sages and sorcerers, and by their spells the magicians of Egyptdid the same.	11 Then Pharaoh called the wise men and the sorcerers. And they also, by Egyptian incantations and certain secrets, did similarly.
12 Each threw his staff down and these turned into serpents. But Aaron's staff swal owed up theirs.	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, remained obstinate and, as Yahweh had foretold, refused to listen to Moses andAaron.	13 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had instructed.
14 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Pharaoh is adamant. He refuses 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 Go to Pharaoh tomorrow morning as he makes his way to the water, confront him on the river bankand in your hand take the staff that turned into a snake.	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, "Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, sent me to say: Let my people go and worship in thedesert. Up til now, you have refused to listen.	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 This is what Yahweh says: You wil know that I am Yahweh by this: with the staff that is in my hand Ishall strike the waters of the River and they wil turn to 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 wil die, and the River wil stink, and the Egyptians will not be able to drink the riverwater." '	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 Yahweh said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters ofEgypt -- over their rivers and canals, their marshland, and all their reservoirs -- and they wil turn to blood. Therewil be blood throughout the whole of Egypt, even in sticks and stones." '	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 Yahweh ordered. He raised his staff and struck the waters of the River, withPharaoh and his officials looking on, and al the water in the River turned to 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 stank; and the Egyptians could no longer drink the Riverwater. Throughout the whole of Egypt there was blood.	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 by their spel s the magicians of Egypt did the same; Pharaoh remained obstinate and, as Yahwehhad foretold, refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.	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 Pharaoh turned away and went back into his palace, taking no notice even of this.	23 And he turned himself away, and he entered his house, neither did he apply his heart to this turn of events.
24 And the Egyptians al dug holes along the river-bank in search of drinking water, since they could notdrink 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 After Yahweh struck the River, seven days went by.	25 And seven days were completed, after the Lord struck the river.
26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "Yahweh says this: Let my people goand worship me.
27 If you refuse to let them go, I shal strike your whole territory with frogs.
28 The River wil swarm with frogs; they wil make their way into your palace, into your bedroom, ontoyour bed, into the houses of your officials and subjects, into your ovens, into your kneading bowls.
29 The frogs wil actual y clamber onto you, onto your subjects and onto all your officials." '