Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all the water turned into blood.The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.
But I will put hooks in your jaws. I will make the fish in your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams. All the fish will stick to your scales.I will leave you out in the desert. All the fish in your streams will be there with you. You will fall down in an open field. You will not be picked up. I will feed you to the wild animals and to the birds in the sky.
When I came to save you, why didn’t anyone welcome me? When I called out to you, why didn’t anyone answer me? Wasn’t I powerful enough to set you free? Wasn’t I strong enough to save you? I dry up the sea with a single command. I turn rivers into a desert. Then fish rot because they do not have any water. They die because they are thirsty.