YHWH said to Moses, “See, I have made you like a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. You are to speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen to y’all, so I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my military divisions, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians will know that I am YHWH when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring the children of Israel out from among them.”
Moses and Aaron did so. As YHWH commanded them, so they did. Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh Asks for a Sign and Gets a Snake
YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “When Pharaoh speaks to y’all, saying, ‘Y’all do a miracle!’ then you are to tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’”
Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as YHWH had commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments. For they each cast down their rods, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as YHWH had spoken.
Plague #1: Water Turned to Blood
YHWH said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning. As he is coming out to the water, stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You are to take the rod which was turned to a serpent in your hand. Tell him, ‘YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. But look! Until now you haven’t listened.” YHWH says, “In this you will know that I am YHWH. Look! I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they will be turned to blood. The fish that are in the river will die and the river will become foul. The Egyptians will loathe to drink water from the river.”’” YHWH said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
Moses and Aaron did so, as YHWH commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their enchantments. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as YHWH had spoken. Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart. All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn’t drink the river water. Seven days were fulfilled, after YHWH had struck the river.