Study Desk

There were two Hebrew nurses who helped the Israelite women give birth. They were named Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to the nurses,

The nurses trusted God, so he was good to them and allowed them to have their own families. The Hebrews continued to have more children, and they became very strong.

A long time passed and that king of Egypt died. But the Israelites were still forced to work very hard. They cried for help, and God heard them.

Now I will go down and save my people from the Egyptians. I will take them from that land and lead them to a good land where they can be free from these troubles. It is a land filled with many good things. Many different people live in that land: the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

And I will cause the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelites. They will give many gifts to your people when they leave Egypt.

If they still refuse to believe after you show them both of these signs, then take some water from the Nile River. Pour the water on the ground, and as soon as it touches the ground, it will become blood."

and they believed what they had heard. Then the Israelites understood that the Lord had seen their troubles and had come to help them. So they bowed down and worshiped God.

After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to Pharaoh and said, "The Lord , the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go into the desert so that they can have a festival to honor me.'"

He said, "You have always given the people straw to use to make bricks. But now, tell them they have to go and find their own straw to make bricks.

Then the Hebrew foremen went to Pharaoh. They complained and said, "We are your servants. Why are you treating us like this?

When they were leaving the meeting with Pharaoh, they passed Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were waiting for them.

So they said to Moses and Aaron, "May the Lord judge and punish you for what you did! You made Pharaoh and his rulers hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us."

I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They called me God All-Powerful. They did not know my name, the Lord .

Now, I have heard their painful cries. I know that they are slaves in Egypt. And I remember my agreement.

These are the names of the leaders of the families of Israel: Israel's first son, Reuben, had four sons. They were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Aaron and Moses were from this tribe. And they are the men the Lord spoke to and said, "Lead my people out of Israel in groups."

I will punish the people of Egypt, and they will learn that I am the Lord . Then I will lead my people out of their country."

So Pharaoh called for his wise men and magicians. These men used their magic, and they were able to do the same thing as Aaron.

They threw their walking sticks on the ground, and their sticks became snakes. But then Aaron's walking stick ate theirs.

The Lord said to Moses: "Tell Aaron to hold the walking stick in his hand over the rivers, canals, lakes, and every place where they store water. When he does this, all the water will turn into blood. All the water, even the water stored in wood and stone jars, will turn into blood."