Moses and Aaron Commissioned
Moses is made like God to Pharaoh, with Aaron as his prophet. At our Father's word Aaron's staff becomes a serpent and swallows the magicians' staffs. Then the Nile, Egypt's life, turns to blood; fish die and the river stinks. The magicians copy it, and Pharaoh is unmoved.
7 1Our Father told Moses, "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 2You will speak all I command you; Aaron your brother will tell Pharaoh to send the Israelites out of his land. 3But I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4Pharaoh won't listen to you, so I'll set my hand against Egypt and bring my armies—my people, Israel's descendants—out of the land of Egypt through great judgments. 5The Egyptians will know I am the Father when I reach out my hand against Egypt and bring Israel's people out from among them."
6Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as our Father had commanded them. 7Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8Then our Father said to Moses and Aaron,
9when Pharaoh tells you, "Prove yourselves with a wonder," say to Aaron, "Take your staff, throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent."
10Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as our Father commanded. Aaron threw his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake. 11So Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and Egypt's magicians did the same with their secret arts. 12Each one threw down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Pharaoh's heart hardened; he wouldn't listen to them, as our Father had said.
The Nile Turns to Blood
14Then our Father said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Stand on Nile's bank to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake. 16Say to him: our Father of the Hebrews sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go to serve me in the wilderness." Yet until now you have not listened. 17This is what our Father says: "By this you will know I am the Father: look, with the staff in my hand I will strike the Nile's water, and it will turn to blood. 18Fish in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and Egyptians won't be able to bear to drink water from the Nile."'" 19Our Father said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over Egypt's waters—over their rivers, canals, ponds, and all their reservoirs—and they will become blood. Blood will fill all Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone."
20Moses and Aaron did as our Father commanded: before Pharaoh and his servants, Aaron raised the staff and struck the Nile's water, and all its water turned to blood. 21The fish in the Nile died, the Nile stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. Blood was in all the land of Egypt. 22But Egypt's magicians did the same with their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart stayed hard; he wouldn't listen to them, as our Father had said. 23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24All the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, since they couldn't drink the Nile's water. 25Seven full days passed after our Father struck the Nile.
