Day 17: Exodus 5-7
Moses Confronts Pharaoh & the Beginning of the Plagues
Exodus 5
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, that they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!” 5 Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.”
6 Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 You shall require from them the same quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it and not listen to lying words.”
10 The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing shall be diminished of your work.’”
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfill your works, your daily quotas, as when there was straw!” 14 The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16 No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
17 But he said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 18 Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the same quota of bricks!”
19 The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came out from Pharaoh. 21 They said to them, “May Yahweh look at you, and judge, because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people. You have not rescued your people at all.”
Exodus 6
1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a mighty hand he will let them go, and by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am Yahweh. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them. 4 I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they traveled as foreigners. 5 Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. 7 I will take you to me for a people, and I will be your God; and you will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am Yahweh.’”
9 Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
12 Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, to me who have uncircumcised lips?”
13 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses.
The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred thirty-three years.
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
20 Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The years of the life of Amram were one hundred thirty-seven years.
21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, Nahshon’s sister, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
25 Eleazar Aaron’s son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas.
These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
26 These are that Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” 27 These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.
28 On the day when Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “I am Yahweh. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.”
30 Moses said before Yahweh, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?”
Exodus 7
1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring out my armies, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
6 Moses and Aaron did so. As Yahweh commanded them, so they did. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Perform a miracle!’ then you shall tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.’”
10 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They, the magicians of Egypt, they also with their enchantments did in the same way. 12 For they each cast down his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
14 Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him. You shall take in your hand the rod which was turned to a serpent. 16 You shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness”; and behold, until now you haven’t listened. 17 Yahweh says, “In this you shall know that I am Yahweh. Behold, I will strike with the rod that is in my hand on the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 The fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul. The Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.”’”
19 Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their canals, and over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood.’ There shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.”
20 Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded; and he lifted 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 waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died. The river became foul. The Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river. The blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 The magicians of Egypt did in the same way with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart. 24 All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, for they couldn’t drink of the water of the river. 25 Seven days were fulfilled, after Yahweh had struck the river.
Scripture: World English Bible (WEB), public domain.
