Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
English Standard Version ESV
1 The Lord answered Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.
1
And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
2 You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land.
2
You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.
3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
3
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put My hand on Egypt and bring out the ranks of My people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
4
Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
5 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them."
5
The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. ”
6 So Moses and Aaron did [this]; they did just as the Lord commanded them.
6
Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.
7 Moses was 80 years old and Aaron 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.
7
Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
8
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9 "When Pharaoh tells you: Perform a miracle, tell Aaron: Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh. It will become a serpent."
9
“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle, ’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent. ’”
10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
10
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers-the magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices.
11
Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
12 Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.
12
For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
13 However, Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
13
Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh is unresponsive: he refuses to let the people go.
14
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.
15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. When you see him walking out to the water, stand ready to meet him by the bank of the Nile. Take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.
15
Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent.
16 Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness, but so far you have not listened.
16
And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. ” But so far, you have not obeyed.
17 This is what the Lord says: Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. Watch. I will strike the water in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.
17
Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
18 The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from it."
18
The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile. ”’”
19 So the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt-over their rivers, canals, ponds, and all their water reservoirs-and they will become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone [containers]."
19
And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. ’”
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood.
20
Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
21
And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
22
But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
23 Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn't even take this to heart.
23
Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.
24 All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink because they could not drink the water from the river.
24
And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.
25
Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025