The Plague of Darkness

²¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “^(A)Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness ^(B)which may be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was ^(C)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, ^(D)but all the sons of Israel had light in their places of habitation. ²⁴ Then Pharaoh ^(E)called to Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even ^(F)your little ones may go with you.” ²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also ^[a]let us have in our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may ^[b]sacrifice them to Yahweh our God. ^26 (G)Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall remain behind, for we shall take some of them to serve Yahweh our God. And until we come there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve Yahweh.” ²⁷ But ^(H)Yahweh ^[c]hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “^(I)Get away from me! ^[d]Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” ²⁹ And Moses said, “As you have spoken; ^(J)I shall never see your face again!”

¹² Then I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and there was a great ^(A)earthquake; and the ^(B)sun became black as ^(C)sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; ¹³ and ^(D)the stars of the sky fell to the earth, ^(E)as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ^14 (F)And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and ^(G)every mountain and island were moved out of their places. ¹⁵ Then ^(H)the kings of the earth and the great men and the ^[a]commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man ^(I)hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they *^(J)said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the ^[b]presence of Him ^(K)who sits on the throne, and from the ^[c](L)wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for ^(M)the great ^(N)day of their ^[d]wrath has come, and ^(O)who is able to stand?”