My other websites: Catholic, Prophets today, For Kids

Also read the verses, if you like.

Exodus 6:28

28When the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt

29the LORD said to Moses: I am the LORD. Say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I tell you.

30But Moses protested to the LORD, “Since I am a poor speaker, how is it possible that Pharaoh will listen to me?”

Exodus 7

1The LORD answered Moses: See! I have made you a god to Pharaoh,^a and Aaron your brother will be your prophet.^*

2You will speak all that I command you. In turn, your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.

3Yet I will make Pharaoh so headstrong that, despite the many signs and wonders that I work in the land of Egypt,

4Pharaoh will not listen to you. Therefore I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring my armies, my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt.

5All Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of their midst.

6This, then, is what Moses and Aaron did. They did exactly as the LORD had commanded them.

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

III. THE CONTEST WITH PHARAOH

The Staff Turned into a Serpent.

8The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:

9When Pharaoh demands of you, “Produce a sign or wonder,” you will say to Aaron: “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will turn into a serpent.”^b

10Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent.

11Pharaoh, in turn, summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians^c of Egypt, did the same thing by their magic arts.

12Each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.

13Pharaoh, however, hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold.

First Plague: Water Turned into Blood.^*

14Then the LORD said to Moses: Pharaoh is obstinate^* in refusing to let the people go.

15In the morning, just when he sets out for the water, go to Pharaoh and present yourself by the bank of the Nile, holding in your hand the staff that turned into a snake.^*

16Say to him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with the message: Let my people go to serve me in the wilderness. But as yet you have not listened.

17Thus says the LORD: This is how you will know that I am the LORD. With the staff here in my hand, I will strike the water in the Nile and it will be changed into blood.^d

18The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile itself will stink so that the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the Nile.

19The LORD then spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—its streams, its canals, its ponds, and all its supplies of water—that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the wooden pails and stone jars.

20This, then, is what Moses and Aaron did, exactly as the LORD had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters in the Nile in full view of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water in the Nile was changed into blood.

21The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile itself stank so that the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.

22But the Egyptian magicians did the same^* by their magic arts. So Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

23Pharaoh turned away and went into his house, with no concern even for this.

24All the Egyptians had to dig round about the Nile for drinking water, since they could not drink any water from the Nile.

Second Plague: The Frogs.

25Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

26Then the LORD said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh and tell him:^e Thus says the LORD: Let my people go to serve me.

27If you refuse to let them go, then I will send a plague of frogs over all your territory.

28The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up and enter into your palace and into your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your servants, too, and among your people, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls.

29The frogs will come up over you and your people and all your servants.

For more information on this chapter

Exodus 8

The LORD then spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams, the canals, and the ponds, and make frogs overrun the land of Egypt.

2So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

3But the magicians did the same by their magic arts and made frogs overrun the land of Egypt.

4Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

5Moses answered Pharaoh, “Please designate for me the time when I am to pray for you and your servants and your people, to get rid of the frogs from you and your houses. They will be left only in the Nile.”

6“Tomorrow,” he said. Then Moses replied, “It will be as you have said, so that you may know that there is none like the LORD, our God.

7The frogs will leave you and your houses, your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.”

8After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence, Moses cried out to the LORD on account of the frogs that he had inflicted on Pharaoh;

9and the LORD did as Moses had asked. The frogs died off in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.

10Heaps of them were piled up, and the land stank.

11But when Pharaoh saw there was a respite, he became obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Third Plague: The Gnats.

12Thereupon the LORD spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it will turn into gnats^{* a} throughout the land of Egypt.

13They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came upon human being and beast alike. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.

14Though the magicians did the same thing to produce gnats by their magic arts, they could not do so.^b The gnats were on human being and beast alike,

15and the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”^* Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Fourth Plague: The Flies.

16Then the LORD spoke to Moses: Early tomorrow morning present yourself to Pharaoh when he sets out toward the water, and say to him: Thus says the LORD: Let my people go to serve me.

17For if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you and your servants and your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and the very ground on which they stand will be filled with swarms of flies.

18But on that day I will make an exception of the land of Goshen, where my people are, and no swarms of flies will be there, so that you may know that I the LORD am in the midst of the land.

19I will make a distinction^* between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.

20This the LORD did. Thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants; throughout Egypt the land was devastated on account of the swarms of flies.^c

21Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go sacrifice to your God within the land.”

22But Moses replied, “It is not right to do so, for what we sacrifice to the LORD, our God, is abhorrent to the Egyptians.^* If we sacrifice what is abhorrent to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us?

23We must go a three days’ journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD, our God, as he commands us.”

24Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD, your God, in the wilderness, provided that you do not go too far away. Pray for me.”

25Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you I will pray to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Pharaoh, however, must not act deceitfully again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

26When Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the LORD;

27and the LORD did as Moses had asked, removing the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not one remained.

28But once more Pharaoh became obstinate and would not let the people go.

For more information on this chapter

Mark 9 :14-29

The Healing of a Boy with a Demon.^*

14When they came to the disciples,^f they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.

15Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him.

16He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

17Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.

18Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”

19He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”

20They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth.

21Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood.

22It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

23Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

24Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

25Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”

26Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!”

27But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

28When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive it out?”

29^* He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

For more information on this chapter

To view all previous blogs click here.

Sermons Rosary Prayers Catholic Answers

The complete Book of Genesis

The book of Mark