New International Version
23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes
25 Whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made the land dark – for had they not rebelled against his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;
35 They ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.
Amplified Bible
23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. [Gen. 46:6.]
24 There [the Lord] greatly increased His people and made them stronger than their oppressors.
25 He turned the hearts [of the Egyptians] to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants.
26 He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen.
27 They showed His signs among them, wonders and miracles in the land of Ham (Egypt).
28 He sent [thick] darkness and made the land dark, and they [God's two servants] rebelled not against His word. [Exod. 10:22; Ps. 99:7.]
29 He turned [Egypt's] waters into blood and caused their fish to die. [Exod. 7:20, 21.]
30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, even in the chambers of their kings. [Exod. 8:6.]
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of beetles and flies and mosquitoes and lice in all their borders. [Exod. 8:17, 24.]
32 He gave them hail for rain, with lightning like flaming fire in their land. [Exod. 9:23, 25.]
33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees and broke the [ice-laden] trees of their borders. [Ps. 78:47.]
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, and the grasshoppers, and that without number, [Exod. 10:4, 13, 14.]
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the beginning and chief substance of all their strength. [Exod. 12:29; Ps. 78:51.]
37 He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. [Exod. 12:35.]
King James Version
23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Becoming a Christian
Would you like to experience forgiveness and new life from the God of the Bible, who calls every person to believe that he sent his son Jesus Christ to make this possible?
The Bible explains why everyone needs to receive forgiveness and is called to serve Jesus Christ. The consistency of the Bible story, which was authored by people living thousands of years apart from diverse cultures and even different languages, is often cited as evidence of divine inspiration. Wikipedia has a list of many Biblical prophesies which have come true.
The story of God's plan to restore his relationship with us can be summarised in eight famous Bible verses below.
- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
- God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
- Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
- If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
The truth in these verses is simple, yet to embrace it means letting go of all our personal hopes and dreams and embracing God's greater purpose for our lives instead, a purpose far above anything we could dream or imagine.
This is the most important decision you will ever make, because it affects not just the rest of your life here on earth, but what comes after as well. Don't put it off until too late. If you died tonight make the decision to spend eternity with your loving Father in Heaven.
If you're wondering what to do next as a new Christian, check out these helpful suggestions from Mary Fairchild on About.com: