¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,^(A) he hardened his heart^(B) and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

²⁸ Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray^(A) for me.”

²⁹ Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully^(A) again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

³² But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart^(A) and would not let the people go.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,”^(A) he said to them. “The Lord is in the right,^(B) and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Pray^(C) to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go;^(D) you don’t have to stay any longer.”

²⁹ Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands^(E) in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth^(F) is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But I know that you and your officials still do not fear^(G) the Lord God.”

³¹ (The flax and barley^(H) were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. ³² The wheat and spelt,^(I) however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

³³ Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart^(J) was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

⁸ Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship^(A) the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”

⁹ Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival^(B) to the Lord.”

¹⁰ Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.^{[a] 11} No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand^(C) over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”

¹³ So Moses stretched out his staff^(D) over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts;^{(E) 14} they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts,^(F) nor will there ever be again. ¹⁵ They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured^(G) all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Pharaoh quickly summoned^(H) Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned^(I) against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now forgive^(J) my sin once more and pray^(K) to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

¹⁸ Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.^{(L) 19} And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea.^[b] Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(M) and he would not let the Israelites go.

The Plague of Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness^(N) spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness^(O) covered all Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.^(P)

²⁴ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go,^(Q) worship the Lord. Even your women and children^(R) may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”^(S)

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings^(T) to present to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(U) and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

²⁹ “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear^(V) before you again.”