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  17But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’

  18“Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”

  19And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”

  20Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them.

  21mAnd they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made 2us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

  Israel’s Deliverance Assured

  (Ex. 3:1—4:17)

  22So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?

  23“For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

  Exodus 6

  God Renews His Promise to Israel

  1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For awith a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand bhe will drive them out of his land.”

  2And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am 1the LORD.

  3c“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as dGod Almighty, but by My name eLORD2 I was not known to them.

  4f“I have also 3established My covenant with them, gto give them the land of Canaan, the land of their 4pilgrimage, hin which they were 5strangers.

  5“And iI have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

  6“Therefore say to the children of Israel: j‘I am the LORD; kI will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will lrescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with 6an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

  7‘I will mtake you as My people, and nI will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out ofrom under the burdens of the Egyptians.

  8‘And I will bring you into the land which I pswore7 to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”

  9So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; qbut they did not heed Moses, because of ranguish8 of spirit and cruel bondage.

  10And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

  11“Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

  12And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for sI am 9of uncircumcised lips?”

  13Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a tcommand10 for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

  The Family of Moses and Aaron

  (Gen. 46:8–27)

  14These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: uThe sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.

  15vAnd the sons of Simeon were 11Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

  16These are the names of wthe sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven.

  17xThe sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families.

  18And ythe sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three.

  19zThe sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

  20Now aAmram took for himself bJochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him cAaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

  21dThe sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

  22And ethe sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.

  23Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of fAmminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him gNadab, Abihu, hEleazar, and Ithamar.

  24And ithe sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

  25Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and jshe bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.

  26These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their karmies.”12

  27These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, lto bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

  Aaron Is Moses’ Spokesman

  28And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

  29that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD. mSpeak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

  30But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, nI am 13of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

  Exodus 7

  Moses Before Pharaoh

  1So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you aas God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be byour prophet.

  2“You cshall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

  3“And dI will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and emultiply My fsigns and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

  4“But gPharaoh will not heed you, so hthat I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My 1armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt iby great judgments.

  5“And the Egyptians jshall know that I am the LORD, when I kstretch out My hand on Egypt and lbring out the children of Israel from among them.”

  6Then Moses and Aaron mdid so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did.

  7And Moses was neighty years old and oAaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

  Aaron’s Miraculous Rod

  (Ex. 4:1–5)

  8Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

  9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, p‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, q‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”

  10So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just ras the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it sbecame a serpent.

  11But Pharaoh also tcalled the wise men and uthe 2sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also vdid in like manner with their 3enchantments.

  12For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

  13And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. The Ten Plagues on Egypt

  The First Plague: Waters Become Blood

  14So the LORD said to Moses: w“Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.

  15“Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the xwater, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and ythe rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

  16“And you shall say to him, z‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, athat they may 4serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!

  17‘Thus says the LORD: “By this byou shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and cthey shall be turned dto blood.

  18“And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will eloathe5 to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”

  19Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and fstretch out your
hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ”

  20And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he glifted 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 hwaters that were in the river were turned to blood.

  21The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians icould not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

  22jThen the magicians of Egypt did kso with their 6enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, las the LORD had said.

  23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.

  24So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.

  25And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.

  Exodus 8

  The Second Plague: Frogs

  1And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, athat they may serve Me.

  2“But if you brefuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with cfrogs.

  3“So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your dbedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.

  4“And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ”

  5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, e‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ”

  6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and fthe frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

  7gAnd the magicians did so with their 1enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

  8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, h“Entreat2 the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people igo, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”

  9And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”

  10So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that jthere is no one like the LORD our God.

  11“And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

  12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses kcried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.

  13So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.

  14They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.

  15But when Pharaoh saw that there was lrelief, mhe hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

  The Third Plague: Lice

  16So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become 3lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ”

  17And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and nit became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

  18Now othe magicians so worked with their 4enchantments to bring forth lice, but they pcould not. So there were lice on man and beast.

  19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is qthe5 finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s rheart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

  The Fourth Plague: Flies

  20And the LORD said to Moses, s“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: t“Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

  21“Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.

  22“And in that day uI will set apart the land of vGoshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may wknow that I am the LORD in the midst of the xland.

  23“I will 6make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this ysign shall be.” ’ ”

  24And the LORD did so. zThick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

  25Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

  26And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing athe abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not 7stone us?

  27“We will go bthree days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as cHe will command us.”

  28So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. dIntercede for me.”

  29Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not edeal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

  30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and fentreated the LORD.

  31And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.

  32But Pharaoh ghardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

  Exodus 9

  The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased

  1Then the LORD said to Moses, a“Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may bserve Me.

  2“For if you crefuse to let them go, and still hold them,

  3“behold, the dhand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence.

  4“And ethe LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ”

  5Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”

  6So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and fall the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

  7Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the gheart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

  The Sixth Plague: Boils

  (Deut. 28:27)

  8So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.

  9“And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause hboils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”

  10Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused iboils that break out in sores on man and beast.

  11And the jmagicians could not stand before Moses because of the kboils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

  12But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he ldid not heed them, just mas the LORD ha
d spoken to Moses.

  The Seventh Plague: Hail

  13Then the LORD said to Moses, n“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may oserve Me,

  14“for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, pthat you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

  15“Now if I had qstretched out My hand and struck you and your people with rpestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.

  16“But indeed for sthis purpose I have raised you up, that I may tshow My power in you, and that My uname may be declared in all the earth.

  17“As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.

  18“Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.

  19“Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”

  20He who vfeared the word of the LORD among the wservants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.

  21But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

  22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be xhail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”

  23And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and ythe LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

  24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

  25And the zhail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.