Exodus 9
New American Standard Bible
Egyptian Livestock Die
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “(A)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 For (B)if you refuse to let them go and [a]continue to hold them, 3 behold, (C)the hand of the Lord [b]will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. 4 (D)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that (E)nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” 5 And the Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and (F)all the livestock of Egypt died; (G)but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But (H)the heart of Pharaoh was [c]hardened, and he did not let the people go.
The Plague of Boils
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into (I)boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. 11 (J)The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 But (K)the Lord [d]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(L)Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “(M)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I am going to send all My plagues [e]on you and your servants and your people, so that (N)you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth. 16 But indeed, (O)for this reason I have allowed you to [f]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth. 17 Still you exalt yourself against My people [g]by not letting them go.
The Plague of Hail
18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, (P)I will [h]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded [i]until now. 19 So now, send word, bring (Q)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. (R)Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” 20 (S)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who [j]feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; 21 but everyone who [k]did not pay regard to the word of the Lord [l]left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that [m](T)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord [n]sent [o]thunder and (U)hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 (V)The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. 26 (W)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh [p](X)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “(Y)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 (Z)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s [q]thunder and hail; and (AA)I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will (AB)spread out my [r]hands to the Lord; the [s]thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that (AC)the earth is the Lord’s. 30 (AD)But as for you and your servants, I know that (AE)you do not yet [t]fear [u]the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the (AF)barley were [v]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not [w]ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 (AG)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his [x]hands to the Lord; and the [y]thunder and the hail stopped, and rain [z]no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the [aa]thunder had stopped, he sinned again and [ab]hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was [ac]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the (AH)Lord had spoken through Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 9:2 Lit still hold
- Exodus 9:3 Lit will be
- Exodus 9:7 Lit heavy
- Exodus 9:12 Lit made strong
- Exodus 9:14 Lit to your heart
- Exodus 9:16 Lit stand
- Exodus 9:17 Lit so as not to let
- Exodus 9:18 Lit cause to rain
- Exodus 9:18 Lit and until now
- Exodus 9:20 Or revered
- Exodus 9:21 Lit did not set his heart to
- Exodus 9:21 Lit then left
- Exodus 9:22 Lit there may be hail
- Exodus 9:23 Lit gave
- Exodus 9:23 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:27 Lit sent and called
- Exodus 9:28 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:29 Lit palms
- Exodus 9:29 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:30 Or revere
- Exodus 9:30 Lit before the Lord
- Exodus 9:31 Lit struck
- Exodus 9:32 Lit struck
- Exodus 9:33 Lit palms
- Exodus 9:33 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:33 Lit was not poured
- Exodus 9:34 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:34 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 9:35 Lit strong
Exodus 9
New Living Translation
A Plague against Livestock
9 “Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 2 If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, 3 the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague. 4 But the Lord will again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals will die! 5 The Lord has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.’”
6 And the Lord did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal. 7 Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn,[a] and he still refused to let the people go.
A Plague of Festering Boils
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. 9 The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
10 So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike. 11 Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.
A Plague of Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 14 If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you[b] and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. 16 But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power[c] and to spread my fame throughout the earth. 17 But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go. 18 So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. 19 Quick! Order your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail falls.’”
20 Some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid because of what the Lord had said. They quickly brought their servants and livestock in from the fields. 21 But those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. 24 Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning. 25 It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field—people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. 26 The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.
27 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he confessed. “The Lord is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong. 28 Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.”
29 “All right,” Moses replied. “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”
31 (All the flax and barley were ruined by the hail, because the barley had formed heads and the flax was budding. 32 But the wheat and the emmer wheat were spared, because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.)
33 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and went out of the city. When he lifted his hands to the Lord, the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn.[d] 35 Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
