Exodus 5

Moses and Aaron Before the King

1 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’ ”

2 
But the king of Egypt said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

3 
Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war.”

4 
But the king said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your jobs!5 There are very many Hebrews, and now you want them to quit working!”

6 
That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen.7 He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw.8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they are asking me, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’9 Make these people work harder and keep them busy; then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses.”10 So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, “This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw.11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before.”12 So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw.13 The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, “You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.”14 The king’s slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past?”15 Then the Israelite foremen went to the king and complained, “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way?16 You give us no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people’s fault.”17 The king answered, “You are lazy! You don’t want to work! That is why you ask to leave here and make sacrifices to the Lord.18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”19 The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble, because the king had told them, “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.”20 As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord punish you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”

Moses Complains to God

22 

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here?23 I went to the king and said what you told me to say, but ever since that time he has made the people suffer. And you have done nothing to save them.”

Exodus 6

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king of Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. Because of my power, he will force them out of his country.”

2 
Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord.3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name God Almighty, but they did not know me by my name, the Lord.4 I also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived in that land, but it was not their own.5 Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my agreement.6 So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power, and I will punish the Egyptians terribly.7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do.8 I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’ ”

9 
So Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.10 Then the Lord said to Moses,11 “Go tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”12 But Moses answered, “The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely the king will not listen to me either. I am not a good speaker.”13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the Israelites and the king of Egypt. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Families of Israel

14 These are the leaders of the families of Israel:Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the family groups of Reuben.15 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the family groups of Simeon.16 Levi lived one hundred thirty-seven years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their families.18 Kohath lived one hundred thirty-three years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.These are the family groups of Levi, according to their family history.

20 
Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years.

21 
Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.

22 
Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 
Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 
The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the family groups of the Korahites.

25 
Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas.
These are the leaders of the family groups of the Levites.

26 
This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Lead the people of Israel out of Egypt by their divisions.”27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.

God Repeats His Call to Moses

28 

The Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt29 and said, “I am the Lord. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

30 
But Moses answered, “I am not a good speaker. The king will not listen to me.”

Exodus 7

1 The Lord said to Moses, “I have made you like God to the king of Egypt, and your brother Aaron will be like a prophet for you.2 Tell Aaron your brother everything that I command you, and let him tell the king of Egypt to let the Israelites leave his country.3 But I will make the king stubborn. I will do many miracles in Egypt,4 but he will still refuse to listen. So then I will punish Egypt terribly, and I will lead my divisions, my people the Israelites, out of that land.5 I will punish Egypt with my power, and I will bring the Israelites out of that land. Then they will know I am the Lord.”

6 
Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them.7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to the king.

Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake

8 

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,9 “Moses, when the king asks you to do a miracle, tell Aaron to throw his walking stick down in front of the king, and it will become a snake.”10 So Moses and Aaron went to the king as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw his walking stick down in front of the king and his officers, and it became a snake.11 So the king called in his wise men and his magicians, and with their tricks the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same thing.12 They threw their walking sticks on the ground, and their sticks became snakes. But Aaron’s stick swallowed theirs.13 Still the king was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

The Water Becomes Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The king is being stubborn and refuses to let the people go.15 In the morning the king will go out to the Nile River. Go meet him by the edge of the river, and take with you the walking stick that became a snake.16 Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you. He said, ‘Let my people go worship me in the desert.’ Until now you have not listened.17 This is what the Lord says: ‘This is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with this stick in my hand, and the water will change into blood.18 Then the fish in the Nile will die, and the river will begin to stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink the water from the Nile.’ ”19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Take the walking stick in your hand and stretch your hand over the rivers, canals, ponds, and pools in Egypt.’ The water will become blood everywhere in Egypt, both in wooden buckets and in stone jars.”

20 
So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. In front of the king and his officers, Aaron raised his walking stick and struck the water in the Nile River. So all the water in the Nile changed into blood.21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river began to stink, so the Egyptians could not drink water from it. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.

22 
Using their tricks, the magicians of Egypt did the same thing. So the king was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.23 The king turned and went into his palace and ignored what Moses and Aaron had done.24 The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, so all of them dug along the bank of the river, looking for water to drink.

The Frogs

25 

Seven days passed after the Lord changed the Nile River.