9 “Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses, “and tell him, ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, demands that you let his people go to sacrifice to him. ² If you refuse, ³ the power of God will send a deadly plague to destroy your cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, flocks, and herds. ⁴ But the plague will affect only the cattle of Egypt; none of the Israeli herds and flocks will even be touched!’”

⁵ The Lord announced that the plague would begin the very next day, ⁶ and it did. The next morning all the cattle of the Egyptians began dying, but not one of the Israeli herds was even sick. ⁷ Pharaoh sent to see whether it was true that none of the Israeli cattle were dead, yet when he found out that it was so, even then his mind remained unchanged and he refused to let the people go.

⁸ Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, “Take ashes from the kiln and have Moses toss them into the sky as Pharaoh watches. ⁹ They will spread like fine dust over all the land of Egypt and cause boils to break out upon people and animals alike, throughout the land.”

¹⁰ So they took ashes from the kiln and went to Pharaoh; as he watched, Moses tossed them toward the sky, and they became boils that broke out on men and animals alike throughout all Egypt. ¹¹ And the magicians couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils appeared upon them too. ¹² But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness, so that he refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Jehovah the God of the Hebrews says, “Let my people go to worship me. ¹⁴ This time I am going to send a plague that will really speak to you and to your servants and to all the Egyptian people, and prove to you there is no other God in all the earth. ¹⁵ I could have killed you all by now, ¹⁶ but I didn’t, for I wanted to demonstrate my power to you and to all the earth. ¹⁷ So you still think you are so great, do you, and defy my power, and refuse to let my people go? ¹⁸ Well, tomorrow about this time I will send a hailstorm across the nation such as there has never been since Egypt was founded! ¹⁹ Quick! Bring in your cattle from the fields, for every man and animal left out in the fields will die beneath the hail!”’”

²⁰ Some of the Egyptians, terrified by this threat, brought their cattle and slaves in from the fields; ²¹ but those who had no regard for the word of Jehovah left them out in the storm.

²² Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Point your hand toward heaven and cause the hail to fall throughout all Egypt, upon the people, animals, and trees.”

²³ So Moses held out his hand, and the Lord sent thunder and hail and lightning. ²⁴ It was terrible beyond description. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that. ²⁵ All Egypt lay in ruins. Everything left in the fields, men and animals alike, was killed, and the trees were shattered and the crops were destroyed. ²⁶ The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “I finally see my fault,” he confessed. “Jehovah is right, and I and my people have been wrong all along. ²⁸ Beg God to end this terrifying thunder and hail, and I will let you go at once.”

²⁹ “All right,” Moses replied, “as soon as I have left the city I will spread out my hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth is controlled by Jehovah. ³⁰ But as for you and your officials, I know that even yet you will not obey him.” ³¹ All the flax and barley were knocked down and destroyed (for the barley was ripe, and the flax was in bloom), ³² but the wheat and the emmer were not destroyed, for they were not yet out of the ground.

³³ So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and lifted his hands to heaven to the Lord, and the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain ceased pouring down. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet more by their stubborn refusal to do what they had promised; ³⁵ so Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.