The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood

Exodus 7

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 y Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand z the staff that turned into a a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, 'The b Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go, c that they may serve me in the wilderness. But so far, you have not obeyed." 17 Thus says the Lord, "By this d you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and e it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will f grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."'" 19 And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and g stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'"

20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he h lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the i water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians j could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But k the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So l Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as m the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.

25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 8:20
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
    Exodus 9:13
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 4:2
    The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff.
    Exodus 4:17
    And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.
    Exodus 17:5
    And the Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 4:3
    And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 3:18
    And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
    Exodus 5:3
    Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.
    Exodus 9:1
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
    Exodus 9:13
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 3:12
    He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
    Exodus 3:18
    And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
    Exodus 5:1
    Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'
    Exodus 5:3
    Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 7:5
    The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 4:9
    If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.
    Revelation 16:4
    The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 7:21
    And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
    Exodus 7:24
    And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 8:5 - 6
    And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Str...
    Exodus 8:16 - 17
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'St...
    Exodus 9:22
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your ...
    Exodus 10:12
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your ...
    Exodus 10:21
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your ...
    Exodus 14:16
    Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand o...
    Exodus 14:21
    Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,...
    Exodus 14:26
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your ...
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 17:9
    So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.
  11. Cross References
    Psalms 78:44
    He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
    Psalms 105:29
    He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 7:18
    The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile."'
    Exodus 7:24
    And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 7:11
    Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 7:13
    Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
  15. Cross References
    Exodus 7:3 - 4
    But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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