This was a great catastrophe for several reasons. People couldn't drink the water and they couldn't bathe in it. Since all the fish died they couldn't fish in it. Neither could they irrigate their crops with it. All of the ponds and pools near the Nile also became blood so the people had to dig for water away from the river.

The Egyptians considered the Nile to be one of their gods and God was showing them that He was the only God and controlled everything they considered gods. It was also symbolic of the blood of all the boy babies the Egyptians had killed by drowning them in the Nile.

The Nile remained blood for seven days.

But the Pharaoh's magicians were able with their magic to appear to change water to blood before Pharaoh, so his heart grew hard and he didn't let the Israelites go.

After the seven days were over God turned the blood back to water and told Moses to go to Pharaoh again and tell him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Let My people go, so they can serve Me. If you don't, I will cover your land with frogs. They will come up out of the river into your streets, your homes, your bedrooms and kitchens. They will be in your food and clothes and everywhere.'

The Second Plague

Moses told the Pharaoh all this through Aaron and again Pharaoh refuse to let the people of Israel go. So Aaron stretched out his rod over the Nile and all the streams and ponds, and frogs came up and covered Egypt. Just as God said, they were into everything. They covered the streets and the floors so it was hard to walk without smashing them and slipping on slimy remains. Of course if people fell they would mash many under their bodies, ruining their clothes. They were in everyone's food and drink. It was a horrible mess. The people grew disgusted with frogs, which were another 'god' the Egyptians worshipped.

The magicians were able to bring up frogs too with their magic but Pharaoh didn't need any more frogs. He quickly called Moses and Aaron and told them to beg their God to remove the frogs, promising that, if they did so, he would let the people go.

Moses asked when Pharaoh would like the frogs to die out of the land and remain in the river only. Pharaoh said tomorrow. And Moses told him it would be as he asked so that Pharaoh would know that there is no one like the Lord, the God of Israel.

Moses prayed to God and God did as Moses asked. All the frogs, except in the waters where they naturally lived, died. This caused a new problem; the Egyptians had millions of dead frogs in the streets, their homes, their food and their clothes. They gathered the dead frogs together in great heaps. Soon those heaps begin to rot and stink. When Pharaoh saw the frogs were gone, he hardened his heart and broke his word and did not let the people go.

The Third Plague

This time God did not send Moses and Aaron to warn Pharaoh. He told Moses to tell Aaron to strike the dust of the ground. When Aaron did so the dust became lice so that all the people and animals were covered with the small biting insects. When the magicians could not produce lice by their trickery they said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." From that time on they were not able to use their trickery any more to imitate the plagues.

But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he did not heed them.

The Fourth Plague

So God had Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh again as he came from his morning's bath in the river. They warned him that there would be swarms of flies if he did not let God's people go. "And this time," God told him through Moses and Aaron, "I will make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel; I will not send flies to the land of Goshen, where My people dwell. That way you will know that I am the Lord. This will happen tomorrow."

You can well imagine that Moses had become very unpopular by this time with both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Even though it was God who brought the plagues, such difficulties are usually blamed on the messenger. But after God made a difference and brought no more plagues on the Israelites, their respect for Moses must have improved greatly.

Pharaoh, true to form, refused and, of course, God covered the land with flies. They were as thick as the frogs had been - all over the ground, the floors, in people's food and clothing. The Egyptians had to wear masks so they wouldn't breath the flies in. It was a good thing for the Israelites that they were spared.

Pharaoh sent urgently for Moses and Aaron and seemed to have a new attitude. "Go!" he said, "Go, sacrifice to your God. But do it in my land, don't go out of Egypt."

"It's not right for us to sacrifice here in Egypt, for our sacrifice is an abomination to the Egyptians, they would stone us. We will go three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice," Moses told Pharaoh.

"Go then, and intercede for me, just don't go far."

"I will ask God to remove the flies," said Moses, "But don't go back on your word again."

Once more Moses prayed to God for relief and when all the flies were gone, you guessed it, Pharaoh hardened his heart again and wouldn't let the people go.

The Fifth and Sixth Plagues

Well, it just went on like this. The Egyptians livestock died of disease but not one animal of the Israelites died. The Egyptians were covered with painful boils from head to toe, but not one boil was on an Israelite.

The Seventh Plague

Then there was a hail storm with huge hailstones accompanied by violent lightning. Moses had warned Pharaoh to tell all his people to stay inside and to keep their animals in. By now many Egyptians were heeding the warnings and kept what little livestock they had left inside and stayed in themselves. But many of those who went out were killed and the livestock left out was killed. Trees were broken down and crops were crushed by the hail or burned by the lightning.

About the only thing left of Egypt was the wheat and spelt crops, for they were just planted and hadn't yet come up to be crushed by the hail. The next plague took care of them. No sooner were the wheat and spelt up a bit than the eighth plague struck.

The Eighth Plague

Moses and Aaron warned Pharaoh that God would send locusts. Pharaoh's advisors pleaded with him to let the people go so that Egypt would not be totally ruined.

Among many Egyptians there had developed a great respect for Moses and God. Even though they hated what was happening to Egypt, they could understand that what Moses said was true and that it was the great stubbornness of their Pharaoh that was responsible for all their suffering.

Since the plague of flies, no plagues had come near the Israelites. The people of Israel had rest from their labors, because the Egyptians were so busy dealing with the plagues. Moses grew in popularity.

Pharaoh asked Moses who would be going to sacrifice and Moses told him that everyone would go. From the oldest to the youngest, men and women, and all their livestock had to go as well.

Fearing that all his slaves would slip out of his grasp, Pharaoh became enraged and said he would allow the men to go worship in the wilderness, but their wives and children must remain behind. Of course Moses and Aaron refused to compromise with God's commandment. God then sent the greatest plague of locusts the world has ever seen. They ate every blade of wheat and spelt and every green leaf that the broken trees were trying to send out. Not one green thing was left in Egypt - except in Goshen, where not a single locust landed.

Pharaoh called for Moses and told him, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Please forgive my sin and entreat the Lord to take away this plague.

Moses did as Pharaoh asked, but Pharaoh changed his mind again, and refused to let God's people go.

The Ninth Plague

There wasn't much left to take away from Egypt, so God took away one of the Egyptians greatest gods - the sun. God caused a thick darkness to cover the land of Egypt - a darkness so heavy and dense that it could even be felt. For three days the darkness lay over the land.

Pharaoh this time told Moses that everyone could go worship the God of Israel, but the livestock would have to stay behind in the land of Egypt. Moses explained that all the livestock must go too and Pharaoh became filled with rage. "Get out of my sight!" he yelled. "If I ever see you again, you will die!"

Moses said, "You have spoken truly. You will never see my face again."

The Tenth Plague

God told Moses there would be one more plague. It would be so horrible that the Egyptians would drive them out of the land of Egypt. But that's a story in itself and we'll tell it in the next chapter.