Exodus 5

Opposition to the Plan of God

1 s Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord,t the God of Israel, ‘Releaset my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feastt to me in the desert.’”2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lordt thatt I should obey himts by releasingt Israel? I do not know the Lord,s and I will not release Israel!”3 And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day journeyt into the desert so that we may sacrificets to the Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword.”s4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work?s Return to your labor!”

5 Pharaoh was thinking,t “The people of the land are now many, and you are giving them rest from their labor.”
6 That same day Pharaoh commandedt the slave masters and forement who weret over the people:s7 “You must no longert give straw to the people for making brickst as before.t Let them got and collect straw for themselves.8 But you must requiret of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before.t Do not reduce it, for they are slackers.t That is why they are crying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’

9 Make the work hardert for the men so they will keep at itts and pay no attention to lying words!”s
10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said,t “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not givingt you straw.11 Yout go get straw for yourselves wherever you cant find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”12 So the people spread outt through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.13 The slave masters were pressuringt them, saying, “Completet your work for each day, just like when there was straw!”

14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked,t “Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past – both yesterday and today?”s
15 s The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you treatingt your servants this way?

16 No straw is given to your servants, but we are told,t ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are event being beaten, but the faultt is with your people.”
17 But Pharaoh replied,t “You are slackers! Slackers!t That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’18 So now, get back to work!t You will not be given straw, but you must still producet your quotas of bricks!”

19 The Israelite foremen sawt that theyt were in trouble when they were told,t “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”
20 When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them,s

21 and they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge,t because you have made us stinkt in the opinion oft Pharaoh and his servants,t so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!”t

The Assurance of Deliverance

22 s Moses returnedt to the Lord, and said, “Lord,t why have you caused trouble for this people?ts Why did you evert send me?

23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused troubles for this people, and you have certainly not rescuedt them!”t

Exodus 6

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh,s for compelled by my strong handt he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”ts
2 God spoket to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.s3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob ast God Almighty,t but byt my name ‘the Lord't I was not known to them.ts4 I also established my covenant with themt to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as resident foreigners.t5 It have also heardt the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving,t and I have remembered my covenant.t6 Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you outs from your enslavement tot the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they impose,t and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.7 I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God.s Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from your enslavement tot the Egyptians.

8 I will bring you to the land I swore to givet to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob – and I will give it to yous as a possession. I am the Lord!'”
9 s Moses told thist to the Israelites, but they did not listen to himt because of their discouragementt and hard labor.10 Then the Lord said to Moses,11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt that he must releaset the Israelites from his land.”

12 But Moses replied tot the Lord, “If the Israelites did not listen to me, thens how will Pharaoh listen to me, sincet I speak with difficulty?”t

13 The Lord spoket to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charget for the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

The Ancestry of the Deliverer

14 s These are the heads of their fathers’ households:t
The sonst of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clanst of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records:t Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)

17 The sons of Gershon, by their families, were Libni and Shimei.

18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (The length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.)

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, according to their records.

20 Amram marriedt his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. (The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.)

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zikri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.

25 Now Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel and she bore him Phinehas.
These are the heads of the fathers’ householdst of Levi according to their clans.
26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.”t

27 They were the men who were speaking to Pharaoh king of Egypt, in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.

The Authentication of the Word

28 s Whent the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,29 he said to him,t “I am the Lord. Tellt Pharaoh king of Egypt all thatt I am tellingt you.”

30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Since I speak with difficulty,t why should Pharaoh listen to me?”

Exodus 7

1 So the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like Godt to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.t2 You are to speakt everything I command you,ts and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh that he must releaset the Israelites from his land.3 But I will hardents Pharaoh’s heart, and although I will multiplyt my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt,4 Pharaoh will not listen to you.t I will reach intot Egypt and bring out my regiments,t my people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment.

5 Thents the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I extend my hands over Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.
6 And Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.

7 Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The Lord saidt to Moses and Aaron,t9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Dot a miracle,’ and you say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it downt before Pharaoh,’ it will becomet a snake.”10 Whent Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the Lord had commanded them – Aaron threwt down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants and it became a snake.t11 Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers,s and the magicianst of Egypt by their secret artst did the same thing.12 Each mant threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard,ts and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

The First Blow: Water to Blood

14 s The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard;t he refuses to releaset the people.15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning whent he goes out to the water. Position yourselft to meet him by the edge of the Nile,s and taket in your hand the stafft that was turned into a snake.16 Tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say,t “Release my people, that they may serve met in the desert!” But until nowt you have not listened.t17 Thus says the Lord: “By this you will know that I am the Lord: I am going to striket the water of the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood.s18 Fisht in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unablet to drink water from the Nile.”’”19 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over Egypt’s waters – over their rivers, over their canals,t over their ponds, and over all their reservoirss – so that it becomest blood.’ There will be blood everywhere int the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone containers.”20 Moses and Aaron did so,s just as the Lord had commanded. Moses raisedt the stafft and struck the water that was in the Nile right before the eyest of Pharaoh and his servants,s and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.s21 When the fisht that were in the Nile died, the Nile begant to stink, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was bloodt everywhere in the land of Egypt!22 But the magicians of Egypt did the samet by their secret arts, and sot Pharaoh’s heart remained hard,t and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaront – just as the Lord had predicted.23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not pay any attention to this.t

24 All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink,s because they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25 s Seven full days passedt after the Lord struckt the Nile.