HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 428
EX O D U S 8
I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can
multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in
the land of Egypt. 4 Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my
fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my
people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt
with great acts of judgment. 5 When I raise my
powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the
Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had
commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old,
and Aaron was eighty-three when they made
their demands to Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9 “Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’
When he does this, say to Aaron, ‘Take your
staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and
it will become a serpent.*’”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and
did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron
threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! 11 Then Pharaoh
called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and
these Egyptian magicians did the same thing
with their magic. 12 They threw down their staffs,
which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s
staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Pharaoh’s
heart, however, remained hard. He still refused
to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.
A Plague of Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s
heart is stubborn,* and he still refuses to let the
people go. 15 So go to Pharaoh in the morning
as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank
of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take
along the staff that turned into a snake. 16 Then
announce to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people
go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.”
Until now, you have refused to listen to him.
17 So this is what the Lord says: “I will show you
that I am the Lord.” Look! I will strike the water
of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the
river will turn to blood. 18 The fish in it will die,
and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not
be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”
19 Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron,
‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the
waters of Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds,
and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to
blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn
to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls
and stone pots.’”
20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord
commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his
officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and
struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the
whole river turned to blood! 21 The fish in the
river died, and the water became so foul that
the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood
page 58
everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But
again the magicians of Egypt used their magic,
and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had
predicted. 23 Pharaoh returned to his palace and
put the whole thing out of his mind. 24 Then all
the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find
drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water
from the Nile.
25 Seven days passed from the time the Lord
struck the Nile.
A Plague of Frogs
1*Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back
to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is
what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they
can worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go,
I will send a plague of frogs across your entire
land. 3 The Nile River will swarm with frogs.
They will come up out of the river and into your
palace, even into your bedroom and onto your
bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into
your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 Frogs
will jump on you, your people, and all your
officials.’”
5*Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron,
‘Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up
frogs over all the land.’” 6 So Aaron raised his
hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came
up and covered the whole land! 7 But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their
magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on
the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron
and begged, “Plead with the Lord to take the
frogs away from me and my people. I will let
your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to
the Lord.”
9 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell
me when you want me to pray for you, your
officials, and your people. Then you and your
houses will be rid of the frogs. They will remain
only in the Nile River.”
10 “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
“All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you
have said. Then you will know that there is no
one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave
you and your houses, your officials, and your
people. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s palace,
and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs
he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did
just what Moses had predicted. The frogs in the
houses, the courtyards, and the fields all died.
14 The Egyptians piled them into great heaps,
8
7:9 Hebrew tannin, which elsewhere refers to a sea monster.
Greek version translates it “dragon.” 7:14 Hebrew heavy.
8:1 Verses 8:1-4 are numbered 7:26-29 in Hebrew text.
8:5 Verses 8:5-32 are numbered 8:1-28 in Hebrew text.