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10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them; and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am Yahweh.”

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve Yahweh your God; but who are those who will go?”

Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh.”

10 He said to them, “Yahweh be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces. 11 Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.” 13 Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to Yahweh your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”

18 Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to Yahweh. 19 Yahweh sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea.[a] There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. 20 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.

21 Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.” 22 Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

24 Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve Yahweh. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”

25 Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve Yahweh, until we come there.”

27 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”

29 Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”

Footnotes

  1. 10:19 “Red Sea” is the translation for the Hebrew “Yam Suf”, which could be more literally translated “Sea of Reeds” or “Sea of Cattails”. It refers to the body of water currently known as the Red Sea, or possibly to one of the bodies of water connected to it or near it.

Plague Eight: Locusts

10 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart insensitive[a] and the heart of his servants in order to put these signs of mine in his midst, so that you will tell in the ears of your child and your grandchild[b] that I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and so that you will tell about my signs that I have done among them, and so you will know that I am Yahweh.”

And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Until when will you refuse to submit before me? Release my people so that they may serve me. But if you are refusing to release my people, look, I am about to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. And they will cover the surface of the land, and no one will be able to see the land, and they will eat the remainder of what is left—what is left over for you from the hail—and they will eat every sprouting tree belonging to you from the field. And your houses will be full, and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt, something that your fathers and your grandfathers[c] never saw from the day they were on the earth until this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

And the servants of Pharaoh said to him, “Until when will this be a snare for us? Release the men so that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” And Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Serve Yahweh your God. Who are the ones going?[d] And Moses said, “With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our sheep and goats and with our cattle we will go because it is the feast of Yahweh for us.” 10 And he said to them, “Let Yahweh be thus with you as soon as I release you and your dependents.[e] See that evil is before your faces. 11 No indeed;[f] just the men[g] go and serve Yahweh, since this is what you are seeking.” And he drove them out from the presence of Pharaoh.

12 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt with the locusts so that they may come up over the land of Egypt, and let them eat all the vegetation of the land, all that the hail left behind.” 13 And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh drove an east wind into the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and they settled in all the territory of Egypt, very severe.[h] Before it there were not locusts like them, nor will there be after it. 15 And they covered the surface of all the land, and the land was dark with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left, and no green was left in the trees nor in the vegetation of the field in all the land of Egypt.

16 And Pharaoh hurried to call Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you. 17 And now forgive my sin surely this time, and pray to Yahweh your God so that he may only remove from me this death.” 18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and he prayed to Yahweh. 19 And Yahweh turned a very strong west wind[i] and lifted up the locusts and thrust them into the Red Sea,[j] and not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20 And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites.[k]

Plague Nine: Darkness

21 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt and so that a person can feel darkness.” 22 And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and there was darkness of night in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see his brother, and because of it no one could move from where they were[l] for three days, but there was light for the Israelites[m] in their dwellings.

24 And Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh. Only your sheep and goats and your cattle must be left behind. Your dependents[n] may also go with you.” 25 And Moses said, “Even if you yourself put into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings and we offer them to Yahweh our God, 26 our livestock must also go with us. Not a hoof can be left because we must take from them to serve Yahweh our God. And we will not know with what we are to serve Yahweh until we come there.” 27 And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release them. 28 And Pharaoh said to him, “Go from me. Be careful[o] not to see my face again, because on the day of your seeing my face you will die.” 29 And Moses said, “That is right.[p] I will not again see your face.”[q]

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 10:1 Literally “heavy”
  2. Exodus 10:2 Literally “the son of your son”
  3. Exodus 10:6 Literally “the fathers of your fathers”
  4. Exodus 10:8 Literally “who and who the goers?”
  5. Exodus 10:10 Or “little children” or “little ones”
  6. Exodus 10:11 Literally “not so”
  7. Exodus 10:11 This word for “men” indicates that Pharaoh means only the able-bodied men can go
  8. Exodus 10:14 Literally “heavy”
  9. Exodus 10:19 Literally “sea wind,” a wind from the Mediterranean Sea to the west
  10. Exodus 10:19 Literally “sea of reed”
  11. Exodus 10:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  12. Exodus 10:23 Literally “a man did not rise from under it”
  13. Exodus 10:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  14. Exodus 10:24 Or “little children” or “little ones”; the term here includes women and children and men too old or ill to fight
  15. Exodus 10:28 Literally “watch for you”
  16. Exodus 10:29 Literally “right you said”
  17. Exodus 10:29 Literally “I will not add again seeing of your face”