Exodus 10
Names of God Bible
The Eighth Plague—Locusts
10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made him and his officials stubborn so that I can do these miraculous signs among them. 2 You will be able to tell your children and grandchildren exactly how I treated the Egyptians and what miraculous signs I did among them. This is how you will all know that I am Yahweh.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what Yahweh Elohim of the Hebrews says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself in my presence? Let my people go to worship me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. 5 They will cover the land so that the ground can’t be seen. They will eat everything left by the hail, including every tree still standing in the fields. 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and those of all the Egyptians. Your parents and ancestors never saw anything like this from the time they first came here until now.” Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man hold us in his grip? Let the Israelite men go to worship Yahweh their Elohim. When will you realize that Egypt is ruined?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship Yahweh your Elohim,” he said to them. “But exactly who will be going?”
9 Moses answered, “Everyone! We’ll be taking our young and old, our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds with us. For us it’s a pilgrimage festival in Yahweh’s honor.”
10 Pharaoh said to them, “Yahweh would have to be with you if I would ever let you take your women and children along. I know you’re up to no good! 11 No! Only the men may go to worship Yahweh, since that’s what you’ve been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were thrown out of Pharaoh’s palace.
12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt to bring locusts. They will invade Egypt and eat up every plant in the land—everything left by the hail.”
13 Moses held his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh made a wind from the east blow over the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 They invaded all of Egypt and landed all over the country in great swarms. Never before had there been so many locusts like this, nor would there ever be that many again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black with them. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly called for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your Elohim and against you. 17 Please forgive my sin one more time. Pray to Yahweh your Elohim to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. 19 Then Yahweh changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
20 But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, so he did not let the Israelites go.
The Ninth Plague—Darkness
21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky, and a darkness so thick that it can be felt will come over Egypt.” 22 Moses lifted his hand toward the sky, and throughout Egypt there was total darkness for three days. 23 People couldn’t see each other, and no one went anywhere for three days. But all the Israelites had light where they were living.
24 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Go, worship Yahweh! Even your women and children may go with you, but your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to take our animals for the sacrifices and burnt offerings we have to make to Yahweh our Elohim. 26 All our livestock must go with us. Not one animal must be left behind. We’ll have to use some of them for worshiping Yahweh our Elohim, and we won’t know what we’ll need until we get there.”
27 But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, so he refused to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Don’t ever let me see your face again. The day I do, you will die.”
29 “You’re right!” Moses answered. “You’ll never see my face again.”
Exodus 10
Lexham English Bible
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, 2 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.”
3 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. 4 But if you are refusing to release my people, look, I am about to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. 5 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. 6 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.
7 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?” 8 And Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Serve Yahweh your God. Who are the ones going?[d] 9 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
- Exodus 10:1 Literally “heavy”
- Exodus 10:2 Literally “the son of your son”
- Exodus 10:6 Literally “the fathers of your fathers”
- Exodus 10:8 Literally “who and who the goers?”
- Exodus 10:10 Or “little children” or “little ones”
- Exodus 10:11 Literally “not so”
- Exodus 10:11 This word for “men” indicates that Pharaoh means only the able-bodied men can go
- Exodus 10:14 Literally “heavy”
- Exodus 10:19 Literally “sea wind,” a wind from the Mediterranean Sea to the west
- Exodus 10:19 Literally “sea of reed”
- Exodus 10:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 10:23 Literally “a man did not rise from under it”
- Exodus 10:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 10:24 Or “little children” or “little ones”; the term here includes women and children and men too old or ill to fight
- Exodus 10:28 Literally “watch for you”
- Exodus 10:29 Literally “right you said”
- Exodus 10:29 Literally “I will not add again seeing of your face”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software