Daily Bread

Aaron to Speak for Moses

²⁸ Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, ²⁹ he said to him, “I am the Lord.^(A) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

³⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,^(B) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God^(C) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.^{(D) 2} You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,^(E) and though I multiply my signs and wonders^(F) in Egypt, ⁴ he will not listen^(G) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment^(H) I will bring out my divisions,^(I) my people the Israelites. ⁵ And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(J) when I stretch out my hand^(K) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded^(L) them. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old^(M) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,^(N)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”^(O)

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,^(P) and the Egyptian magicians^(Q) also did the same things by their secret arts:^{(R) 12} Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart^(S) became hard and he would not listen^(T) to them, just as the Lord had said.