Study Desk

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God.

But Moses protested, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, ‘What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?"

And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed.

"Perform this sign," the Lord told him. "Then they will believe that the Lord , the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you."

The Lord said to Moses, "If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign.

And if they don't believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground."

Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched.

Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

After this presentation to Israel's leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness."

But Aaron and Moses persisted. "The God of the Hebrews has met with us," they declared. "So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don't, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword."

But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don't reduce the quota. They are lazy. That's why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.'

So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. "Please don't treat your servants like this," they begged.

As they left Pharaoh's court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them.

And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.

Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.

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.

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.

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.

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 ."

"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."