Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 106
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
7:8–8:2
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “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.’”
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! Then Pharaoh called in his own wise
men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing
with their magic. They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Pharaoh’s heart,
however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had
predicted.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still
refuses to let the people go. 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. 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. 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. The fish in it will
die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any
water from the Nile.’”
Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise
your hand over the waters of E
gypt—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.’”
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! The fish in
the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t
drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 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. Pharaoh returned to
his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. Then all the Egyptians
dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the
water from the Nile.
Seven days passed from the time the Lord struck the Nile.
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. If
