Study Desk

"so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

"But if they will not believe even these two signs nor pay attention to what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will turn into blood on the dry ground."

Then Moses departed and returned to his father-in-law Jethro, and said to him, "Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, they bowed low and worshiped.

And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

"But you shall impose on them the quota of bricks which they were making before; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, for that reason they cry out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

"Let the labor be heavier on the men, and have them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words."

"There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people."

When they left Pharaoh's presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them.

And they said to them, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you, because you have made us repulsive in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!"

So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

So Moses and Aaron did this; as the LORD commanded them, so they did.

And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent.

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts.

For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.

"And you shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened up to now."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.'"

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.