¹⁸ “The elders of Israel will listen^(A) to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews,^(B) has met^(C) with us. Let us take a three-day journey^(D) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices^(E) to the Lord our God.’

The Plague on Livestock

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship^(A) me.”

¹⁶ Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship^(A) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.^(B)

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

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings^(D) 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.”

³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble^(A) yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.