fra Biblica1„Hør nu engang, Moses,” sagde Herren. „Jeg vil vise Farao, at det er Gud selv, der står bag dig, og din bror Aron skal være den, der fører ordet.2Sig alt det, jeg fortæller dig, videre til Aron, så han kan sige det videre til Farao. Han skal forlange, at Israels folk får lov at forlade Egypten.3Men jeg vil gøre Farao stædig, og derefter vil jeg gøre mange tegn og undere i Egypten.4Når Farao så ikke vil høre på jer, vil jeg straffe Egypten med store katastrofer, hvorefter jeg vil føre mit talrige folk ud.5Når egypterne ser min magt, og hvordan jeg tvinger dem til at lade mit folk rejse, vil de komme til at forstå, at jeg er Herren!”6Så var Moses og Aron parat til at gøre, som Herren havde befalet.7Moses var på det tidspunkt 80 år gammel, og Aron var 83.
Staven forvandles til en slange
8Dernæst sagde Herren til Moses:9„Når Farao kræver, at I skal gøre et under for at bevise din Guds magt, skal Aron smide sin stav på jorden foran Farao, og den vil blive forvandlet til en slange.”10Så gik Moses og Aron til Farao og gjorde, som Herren havde befalet: Aron smed sin stav på gulvet foran Farao og hans hoffolk, og staven blev straks forvandlet til en slange.11Men Farao kaldte på sine vismænd og troldmænd, og de var i stand til at efterligne miraklet ved hjælp af deres magi.12Deres stave blev til slanger ligesom Arons, men Arons slange slugte troldmændenes slanger.13Farao var imidlertid lige stædig og ville ikke høre på dem—nøjagtig som Herren havde forudsagt.
Første katastrofe: Vand bliver til blod
14Så sagde Herren til Moses: „Farao er lige stædig og nægter at lade folket rejse.15Gå derfor hen til ham i morgen tidlig, når han går ned til Nilen. Vent på ham ved bredden og sørg for at have staven, der blev til en slange, parat.16Sig til ham: Herren, hebræernes Gud, sendte mig til dig for at sige: ‚Lad mit folk rejse, så de kan tilbede mig i ørkenen!’ Endnu har du ikke bøjet dig for kravet,17men nu siger Herren til dig: ‚Du skal få at se, at jeg er Herren!’ Jeg slår nu Nilens vand med denne stav, og vandet vil blive til blod!18Fiskene vil dø, og floden vil komme til at stinke, så dit folk vil nægte at drikke vand fra den.”19Og Herren fortsatte: „Sig så til Aron, at han skal pege ud over alle Egyptens vande med sin stav. Når han gør det, vil vandet i alle landets floder, kanaler, damme og vandreservoirer forvandles til blod. Ja, selv vandet i alle trækar og stenkrukker vil blive til blod.”20Moses og Aron gjorde, som Herren havde befalet. Moses rakte sin stav ud og slog på vandet i Nilen for øjnene af Farao og hans folk,21så vandet blev til blod, fiskene døde, og alt flodvandet stank. Egypterne kunne ikke længere drikke det. Vand blev til blod overalt i Egypten.22De egyptiske troldmænd brugte deres magi til at gøre det samme. Farao blev endnu mere stejl og ville ikke høre på Moses og Aron—nøjagtig som Herren havde forudsagt.23Han vendte sig om og gik tilbage til sit palads, som om der intet var sket.24Imens gravede egypterne brønde langs floden for at finde rent vand, for de kunne jo ikke drikke vandet i floden.25Sådan gik der syv dage.
Anden katastrofe: Frøer
26Derpå sagde Herren til Moses: „Gå hen til Farao og giv ham denne besked fra mig: Lad mit folk rejse, for at de kan tilbede mig.27Hvis du stadig nægter, vil jeg lade mængder af frøer plage dit land fra ende til anden.28Nilen skal komme til at vrimle med frøer, og frøerne vil trænge ind i dit palads og dit soveværelse—ja, helt op i din seng. De vil myldre ind i alle egypternes huse, selv ind i bageovnene og op i gryderne.29Frøerne vil kravle rundt på dig og dine hoffolk—ja, på alle landets indbyggere.”
1And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. (1.Mos 20,7; 2.Mos 4,16; 1.Sam 9,9)2You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. (2.Mos 4,15; 2.Mos 6,29)3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, (2.Mos 4,21; 2.Mos 11,9; Salm 78,43; Salm 105,26; Salm 135,9)4Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.5The 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.” (2.Mos 7,17; 2.Mos 8,10; 2.Mos 8,22; 2.Mos 14,4; 2.Mos 14,18)6Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.7Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. (5.Mos 29,5; 5.Mos 31,2; 5.Mos 34,7; Ap G 7,23; Ap G 7,30)8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,9“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” (Es 7,11; Joh 2,18; Joh 4,48; Joh 6,30)10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.11Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. (1.Mos 41,8; 2.Mos 7,12; 2.Mos 7,22; 2.Mos 8,7; 2.Mos 8,18; 2.Mos 9,11; 2.Tim 3,8)12For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.13Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (2.Mos 7,3)
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.15Go 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 the staff that turned into a serpent. (2.Mos 4,2; 2.Mos 4,3; 2.Mos 4,17; 2.Mos 8,20; 2.Mos 9,13; 2.Mos 17,5)16And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. (2.Mos 3,12; 2.Mos 3,18; 2.Mos 5,1; 2.Mos 5,3; 2.Mos 9,1; 2.Mos 9,13)17Thus says the Lord, “By this 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 it shall turn into blood. (2.Mos 4,9; 2.Mos 7,5; Åb 16,4)18The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” (2.Mos 7,21; 2.Mos 7,24)19And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and 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.’” (2.Mos 8,5; 2.Mos 8,16; 2.Mos 9,22; 2.Mos 10,12; 2.Mos 10,21; 2.Mos 14,16; 2.Mos 14,21; 2.Mos 14,26)20Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. (2.Mos 17,9; Salm 78,44; Salm 105,29)21And 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. (2.Mos 7,18; 2.Mos 7,24)22But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (2.Mos 7,3; 2.Mos 7,11; 2.Mos 7,13)23Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.25Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.