Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt with a message from God. They gathered the elders of Israel and performed the signs that God had given Moses. The people believed and rejoiced that God had finally visited them.

But now came the difficult part: confronting Pharaoh.

Moses and Aaron went to the palace and said to Pharaoh:

Pharaoh answered arrogantly: "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go."

Pharaoh not only refused - he made things worse for the Israelites. He ordered that they no longer be given straw to make bricks, but that they maintain the same production. The people suffered even more.

Moses cried out to God: "Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all!"

But God answered: "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. With a strong hand he will let them go; with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

God was about to show His power in a way Egypt would never forget. The plagues would come, one by one, until Pharaoh learned who the true God was.

THE FIRST PLAGUE: WATER INTO BLOOD

The Lord said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the Nile. Take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent and say to him: 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let my people go." But until now you have not listened. Thus 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 in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.'"

Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, Aaron lifted up the staff and struck the water of the Nile.

Immediately, all the water in the river turned to blood! The fish died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could no longer drink its water. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt - in the rivers, canals, lakes, even in vessels of wood and stone.

The Egyptians dug around the river looking for water to drink. It was a desperate situation.

But Pharaoh's magicians also did the same with their magic arts. Therefore, Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Seven days passed after the Lord struck the river.

THE SECOND PLAGUE: THE FROGS

The Lord said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh and say to him: 'Thus says the Lord: Let my people go. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague all your territory with frogs. The river shall swarm with frogs. They shall come up into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens and your kneading bowls.'"

When Pharaoh again refused, Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Frogs everywhere! Frogs in houses, frogs in beds, frogs in food, frogs in ovens! There was no escape from them. The noise of croaking was deafening. People stepped on frogs with every step.

Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: "Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go."

Moses prayed, and the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, courtyards, and fields. They gathered them in heaps, and the land stank.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them.

THE THIRD PLAGUE: THE GNATS

The Lord said to Moses: "Say to Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt."

Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.

The gnats infested everything - people, animals, clothes, houses. It was impossible to get rid of them. The itching was unbearable. There was no rest, neither day nor night.

The magicians tried to do the same with their magic arts, but they could not. This time, their magic failed!

The magicians said to Pharaoh: "This is the finger of God!" Even the magicians themselves recognized God's power!

But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them.

THE FOURTH PLAGUE: THE FLIES

The Lord said to Moses: "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him: 'Thus says the Lord: Let my people go. If you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, on your servants, on your people, and on your houses. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.'"

Pharaoh refused again. Then there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into the houses of his servants. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

But in Goshen, where the Israelites lived, there was not a single fly! God was protecting His people, making a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

This time Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: "Go, sacrifice to your God here in this land."

But Moses answered: "It would not be right to do so. We will go three days' journey into the wilderness."

Pharaoh tried to negotiate: "I will let you go, but you must not go very far away."

Moses prayed, and God removed the flies. But again, when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not let the people go.

THE FIFTH PLAGUE: THE PLAGUE ON LIVESTOCK

The Lord said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh and say to him: 'Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go. If you refuse to let them go and still hold them, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.'"

Pharaoh refused. The next day, the Lord did this thing, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died. But not one of the livestock of the Israelites died.

Pharaoh sent to investigate, and they confirmed that not a single animal of the Israelites had died. But even so, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Five plagues had already fallen upon Egypt. The Lord had turned water to blood, sent frogs, gnats, flies, and pestilence. Each plague was more severe than the previous one.

But Pharaoh kept refusing. His pride was so great that even seeing God's power, he did not want to submit.

More plagues would come. And each one would show even more clearly that the God of Israel was the only true God, more powerful than Pharaoh, more powerful than all the gods of Egypt, more powerful than any force on earth.