Study Desk

So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, "This is what Pharaoh says:^(f) ‘I am not giving you straw.

Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.'"

So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

The overseers insisted, "Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided."

Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten^(g) and asked, "Why haven't you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?"

So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way?

No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!' Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault."

But he said, "You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord .'

Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks."

The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks."

When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.

"May the Lord take note of you and judge," they said to them, "because you have made us reek in front of Pharaoh and his officials—putting a sword in their hand to kill us!"^(h)

So Moses went back to the Lord and asked, "Lord, why have You caused trouble for this people? And why did You ever send me?⁽ⁱ⁾

Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in Your name he has caused trouble for this people, and You haven't delivered Your people at all."

¹But the Lord replied to Moses, "Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh: he will let them go because of My strong hand; he will drive them out of his land because of My strong hand."^(a)

Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, "I am Yahweh.

I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not reveal My name Yahweh to them.^(b)

I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners.^(c)

Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered^(d) My covenant.

"Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm^(e) and great acts of judgment.

I will take you as My people,^(f) and I will be your God. You will know^(g) that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians.

I will bring you to the land that I swore^[a](h) to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh."

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen⁽ⁱ⁾ to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses,

"Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land."

But Moses said in the Lord 's presence: "If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?"^[b](j)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

These are the heads of their fathers' families: The sons of Reuben,^(k) the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben.

The sons of Simeon:^(l) Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the clans of Simeon.

These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogy: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.^(m) Levi lived 137 years.

The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites⁽ⁿ⁾ according to their genealogy.

Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses.^(o) Amram lived 137 years.

The sons of Izhar:^(p) Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan,^(q) and Sithri.

Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab^(r) and sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^(s)

The sons of Korah:^(t) Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites.

Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel and she bore him Phinehas.^(u) These are the heads of the Levite families by their clans.

It was this Aaron and Moses whom the Lord told, "Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their divisions."^(v)

Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

On the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

He said to him, "I am Yahweh;^(w) tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I am telling you."

But Moses replied in the Lord 's presence, "Since I am such a poor speaker,^[c](x) how will Pharaoh listen to me?"

The Lord answered Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.

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.

But I will harden Pharaoh's heart^(a) and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put My hand on Egypt and bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.

The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh^(b) when I stretch out My hand^(c) against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them."

So Moses and Aaron did this; they did just as the Lord commanded them.

Moses was 80 years old^(d) and Aaron 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

"When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,' tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh. It will become a serpent.'"^(e)

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.

But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers—the magicians^(f) of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices.^(g)

Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.

However, Pharaoh's heart hardened,^(h) and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hard: he refuses to let the people go.

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.⁽ⁱ⁾

Tell him: Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship^[a] Me in the wilderness, but so far you have not listened.

This is what Yahweh says: Here is how you will know that I am Yahweh. Watch. I will strike the water in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.

The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from it."

So the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand^(j) over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers, canals,^[b] 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."

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.^(k)

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.

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.

Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn't even take this to heart.

All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink because they could not drink the water from the river.

Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.

^[a]Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him: This is what Yahweh says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.^(a)

But if you refuse to let them go, then I will plague all your territory with frogs.^(b)

The Nile will swarm with frogs; they will come up and go into your palace, into your bedroom and on your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.

The frogs will come up on you, your people, and all your officials."

^[b]The Lord then said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt."^(c)

When Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, the frogs^(d) came up and covered the land of Egypt.

But the magicians did the same thing by their occult practices and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Ask^(e) Yahweh to remove the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go and they can sacrifice to Yahweh."

Moses said to Pharaoh, "You make the choice rather than me. When should I ask on behalf of you, your officials, and your people, that the frogs be taken away from you and your houses, and remain only in the Nile?"

"Tomorrow," he answered. Moses replied, "As you have said, so you may know there is no one like Yahweh our God,^(f)

the frogs will go away from you, your houses, your officials, and your people. The frogs will remain only in the Nile."

After Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord for help concerning the frogs that He had brought against^[c] Pharaoh.

The Lord did as Moses had said: the frogs in the houses, courtyards, and fields died.

They piled them in countless heaps, and there was a terrible odor in the land.

But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart^(g) and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.