Exodus 5-7

Moses and Aaron go to up to Pharaoh and say "let my people go.". That's what everyone remembers, but they also said, "we need to do a three day festival in the wilderness. If we don't do this, God might strike us down and kill us by disease and/or war.". Unstated is whether or not they would return. But if the festival is for three days, then presumably that means they would return.

Pharaoh does not care. Conditioned like that, why would he? If he doesn't let them go, then [their] God would kill them. Pharaoh even tells Moses and Aaron to get back to work. I think that is only point in all this where Moses and Aaron are identified as being rebellious slaves. Why didn't the Egyptians do more of an effort to get them, Moses and Aaron, to work?

Pharaoh is mad at this exchange and takes away all the straw from the Israelites in their straw brick construction. Yet, they are still expected to meet the same daily quota of bricks. So, this means they have to first search for straw and then make the bricks. Pharaoh hopes this makes them so busy they forget about this three day festival.

Moses complains to God and God renews the promise on two separate occasions between the initial meeting with Pharaoh and the first plague. Moses even complains that the Israelites themselves won't listen to him. The story breaks and we get Moses and Aaron's genealogy. It starts off by going through the sons of Reuben, Simeon, and then Levi. It almost seems like we'll get the sons of all 12 tribes of Israel, but it stops with details about Levi. We also find out that Simeon had a Canaanite wife.

Why is that there? My guess is because it is a quasi-answer to Moses' complaint immediately before. The genealogy highlights Moses' and Aaron's firm Hebrew roots, which gives them some credibility before other Israelites. But it is not a total answer, that can only come from God.

Moses and Aaron return to Pharaoh. Aaron throws down his staff, it becomes a snake. Pharaoh's magicians to do the same, but Aaron's staff-snake eats up theirs. Pharaoh is still not impressed.

Now it's time for Aquaman. Pharaoh is taking a bath by the river. Moses and Aaron walk up to him. Apparently, there was public access to Pharaoh's bathing point by the river (and Pharaoh's daughter, that's where Moses was found). Aaron strikes the water and the entire river turns to blood. All the fish died and it stinks. The people have to dig along side the river to find drinking water. So, it does not sound like all the water in the land became blood, just their main source of the water.

The Egyptians loved this river and it was the foundation of their culture. All their cities are up and down the Nile as it is desert on either side. Here, this entire river is now blood. You can't drink it, you can't catch fish in it, and the smell is toxic. This action probably caused a work stoppage in the brick building by the Israelites, as you need water to make mud.

Pharaoh is still not impressed.