Exodus 7 · Kingdoms of Scripture

1Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.

Notes (1)

Translation
Elohim le-pharoh: God to Pharaoh. Aaron is called navi, a prophet, the one who speaks. The line does not rename Moses as Yahweh.

2You shall speak everything I command you, and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, so that he sends the sons of Israel out of his land.

3I will make Pharaoh’s heart hard, and I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

Notes (1)

Translation
Aqsheh is “make hard,” not the “strengthen” of chapter 4 and not the “make heavy” of later verses. The verb in this verse is kept as “make hard.”

4Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will set my hand on Egypt and bring out my companies, my people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt with great judgments.

5Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring the sons of Israel out from among them.”

6Moses and Aaron did so. As Yahweh commanded them, so they did.

7Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron,

9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, ‘Give a wonder for yourselves,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh. It will become a great serpent.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
Tannin is a great serpent, a monster-serpent. It is not the nachash, the snake, of chapter 4. The two words are not given one English word.

10Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Yahweh commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a great serpent.

11Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts.

Notes (1)

Translation
Chartumim are the magician-scribes. Belahatehem is printed “secret arts.” The word is also used of flames. “By their flames” is the live alternative.

12Each threw down his staff, and they became great serpents. Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.

13Pharaoh’s heart was strong, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.

14Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is heavy. He refuses to send the people away.

Notes (1)

Translation
Kaved is heavy. This is a third verb, after “strengthen” and “make hard.” “Heavy” is printed.

15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look, he is going out to the water. Station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.

16Say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say: Send my people away, so they can serve me in the wilderness. And look, you have not listened until now.

17This is what Yahweh says: By this you will know that I am Yahweh. Look, I am striking the water that is in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.

18The fish in the Nile will die. The Nile will stink. Egypt will be worn out trying to drink water from the Nile.’”

19Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their Nile-channels, over their pools, and over every gathering of their water, and they will become blood. There will be blood in all the land of Egypt, and in the wood and in the stones.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
“In the wood and in the stones” is printed as written. Wooden vessels and stone vessels are the likely sense, and they are not added as a gloss in the line.

20Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded. He lifted the staff and struck the water in the Nile, in Pharaoh’s sight and in his servants’ sight, and all the water in the Nile turned to blood.

21The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, and Egypt could not drink water from the Nile. The blood was through all the land of Egypt.

22The magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was strong, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.

23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his heart even on this.

24All Egypt dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the Nile.

25Seven days were fulfilled after Yahweh struck the Nile.

1Yahweh said to Moses, “See, I have made you God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.

Notes (1)

Translation
Elohim le-pharoh: God to Pharaoh. Aaron is called navi, a prophet, the one who speaks. The line does not rename Moses as Yahweh.

2You shall speak everything I command you, and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, so that he sends the sons of Israel out of his land.

3I will make Pharaoh’s heart hard, and I will multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

Notes (1)

Translation
Aqsheh is “make hard,” not the “strengthen” of chapter 4 and not the “make heavy” of later verses. The verb in this verse is kept as “make hard.”

4Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will set my hand on Egypt and bring out my companies, my people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt with great judgments.

5Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring the sons of Israel out from among them.”

6Moses and Aaron did so. As Yahweh commanded them, so they did.

7Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron,

9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, ‘Give a wonder for yourselves,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh. It will become a great serpent.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
Tannin is a great serpent, a monster-serpent. It is not the nachash, the snake, of chapter 4. The two words are not given one English word.

10Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did so, as Yahweh commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a great serpent.

11Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts.

Notes (1)

Translation
Chartumim are the magician-scribes. Belahatehem is printed “secret arts.” The word is also used of flames. “By their flames” is the live alternative.

12Each threw down his staff, and they became great serpents. Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.

13Pharaoh’s heart was strong, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.

14Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is heavy. He refuses to send the people away.

Notes (1)

Translation
Kaved is heavy. This is a third verb, after “strengthen” and “make hard.” “Heavy” is printed.

15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look, he is going out to the water. Station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.

16Say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say: Send my people away, so they can serve me in the wilderness. And look, you have not listened until now.

17This is what Yahweh says: By this you will know that I am Yahweh. Look, I am striking the water that is in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood.

18The fish in the Nile will die. The Nile will stink. Egypt will be worn out trying to drink water from the Nile.’”

Notes (1)

Translation
“In the wood and in the stones” is printed as written. Wooden vessels and stone vessels are the likely sense, and they are not added as a gloss in the line.

20Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded. He lifted the staff and struck the water in the Nile, in Pharaoh’s sight and in his servants’ sight, and all the water in the Nile turned to blood.

21The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, and Egypt could not drink water from the Nile. The blood was through all the land of Egypt.

22The magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was strong, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had said.

23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his heart even on this.

24All Egypt dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the Nile.

25Seven days were fulfilled after Yahweh struck the Nile.