Exodus 9

The Fifth Blow: Disease

1 s Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Release my people that they may serve me!2 For if you refuse to release themt and continue holding them,t3 then the hand of the Lord will surely bringt a very terrible plaguet on your livestock in the field, on the horses, the donkeys, the camels,s the herds, and the flocks.

4 But the Lord will distinguisht between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, and nothingt will die of all that the Israelites have.”’”t
5 The Lord sett an appointed time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do thist in the land.”6 And the Lord did thist on the next day;t allt the livestock of the Egyptianst died, but of the Israelites’ livestock not one died.

7 Pharaoh sent representatives to investigate,t and indeed, not even one of the livestock of Israel had died. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard,t and he did not release the people.

The Sixth Blow: Boils

8 s Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soott from a furnace, and have Moses throw itt into the air while Pharaoh is watching.t9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt and will cause boils to break out and festert on both people and animals in all the land of Egypt.”

10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh, Moses threw it into the air, and it caused festering boils to break out on both people and animals.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

12 But the Lord hardenedt Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

The Seventh Blow: Hail

13 s The Lord saidt to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, standt before Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Release my people so that they may serve me!14 For this time I will send all my plaguest on your very selft and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.15 For by now I could have stretched outt my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyedt from the earth.16 Butt for this purpose I have caused you to stand:t to show yout my strength, and so that my name may be declaredt in all the earth.17 You are still exaltingt yourself against my people byt not releasing them.18 I am going to cause very severe hail to rain downt about this time tomorrow, such hail as has never occurreds in Egypt from the day it was foundedt until now.

19 So now, send instructionst to gathert your livestock and all your possessions in the fields to a safe place. Every persont or animal caughtt in the field and not brought into the house – the hail will come down on them, and they will die!”’”
20 Thoset of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring theirt servants and livestock into the houses,

21 but thoset who did not taket the word of the Lord seriously left their servants and their cattlet in the field.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward the skyt that there may bet hail in all the land of Egypt, on people and on animals,t and on everything that growst in the field in the land of Egypt.”23 When Moses extendedt his staff toward the sky, the Lordt sent thundert and hail, and fire fell to the earth;s so the Lord caused hail to rain down on the land of Egypt.24 Hail fellt and fire mingledt with the hail; the hail was so severet that there had not been any like itt in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.25 The hail struck everything in the open fields, botht people and animals, throughout all the land of Egypt. The hail struck everything that growst in the field, and it broke all the trees of the field to pieces.

26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.
27 So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time!s The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty.t

28 Pray to the Lord, for the mightys thunderings and hail are too much!t I will release you and you will stay no longer.”t
29 Moses said to him, “When I leave the cityts I will spread my hands to the Lord, the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord.s

30 But as for yout and your servants, I know that you do not yet feart the Lord God.”
31 (Now thet flax and the barley were struckt by the hail,t for the barley had ripenedt and the flaxs was in bud.

32 But the wheat and the speltt were not struck, for they are later crops.)t
33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain stopped pouring on the earth.34 When Pharaoh sawt that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he sinned again:t both he and his servants hardenedt their hearts.

35 So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard,t and he did not release the Israelites, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Exodus 10

The Eighth Blow: Locusts

1 s The Lord saidt to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to displayt these signs of mine before him,t

2 and in order that in the hearing of your son and your grandson you may tellt how I made foolst of the Egyptianst and aboutt my signs that I displayedt among them, so that you may knowt that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: ‘How long do you refuset to humble yourself before me?t Release my people so that they may serve me!4 But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bringt locustst into your territoryt tomorrow.5 They will covert the surfacet of the earth, so that yout will be unable to see the ground. They will eat the remainder of what escapeds – what is left overt for you – from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the field.

6 They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of Egypt, such ast neithert your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they have beent in the land until this day!’” Then Mosest turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How longs will this man be a menacet to us? Release the people so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not knowt that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Exactly who is going with you?”t

9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle we will go, because we are to holdt a pilgrim feast for the Lord.”
10 He said to them, “The Lord will need to be with yous if I release you and your dependents!t Watch out!t Trouble is right in front of you!ts

11 No!t Go, you ment only, and serve the Lord, for thatt is what you want.”t Then Moses and Aaront were drivent out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand over the land of Egypt fort the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat everything that growst in the ground, everything that the hail has left.”13 So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the Lordt broughtt an east wind on the land all that day and all night.t The morning came,t and the east wind had brought upt the locusts!14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territoryt of Egypt. It was very severe;t there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again.t

15 They coveredt the surfacet of all the ground, so that the ground became dark with them,t and they ate all the vegetation of the ground and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or on anything that grew in the fields throughout the whole land of Egypt.
16 s Then Pharaoh quicklyt summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinneds against the Lord your God and against you!17 So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the Lord your God that he would onlys take this deaths away from me.”18 Mosest went outt from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,19 and the Lord turned a very strong west wind,t and it picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea.ts Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.

20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.

The Ninth Blow: Darkness

21 s The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward heavent so that there may bes darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness so thick it can be felt.”t
22 So Moses extended his hand toward heaven, and there was absolute darknesst throughout the land of Egypt for three days.s

23 No onet could seet another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord – only your flocks and herds will be detained. Even your familiest may go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “Will you alsot provide ust with sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may present themt to the Lord our God?

26 Our livestock mustt also go with us! Not a hoof is to be left behind! For we must taket these animalst to serve the Lord our God. Until we arrive there, we do not know what we must use to serve the Lord.”s
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release them.28 Pharaoh said to him, “Go from me!t Watch out for yourself! Do not appear before me again,t for whent you see my face you will die!”

29 Moses said, “As you wish!t I will not see your face again.”t

Exodus 11

The Tenth Blow: Death

1 s The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will release you from this place. When he releases you,t he will drive you out completelyt from this place.

2 Instructt the people that each man and each woman is to requestt from his or her neighborts items of silver and gold.”s

3 (Now the Lord granted the people favor witht the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.)ts
4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnightt I will go throughout Egypt,t5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaohs who sits on his throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.6 There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there has never been,t nor ever will be again.t7 But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will barkt against either people or animals,t so that you may know that the Lord distinguishest between Egypt and Israel.’

8 All these your servants will come down to me and bow downs to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who followt you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then Mosest went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonderss may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.