Exodus 10
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
10 The Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart hard, and his servants’ hearts, that I might show these My signs [of divine power] before him,
2 And that you may recount in the ears of your son and of your grandson what I have done in derision of the Egyptians and what things I have [repeatedly] done there—My signs [of divine power] done among them—that you may recognize and know that I am the Lord.
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
4 For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.
5 And they shall cover the land so that one cannot see the ground; and they shall eat the remainder of what escaped and is left to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field;
6 The locusts shall fill your houses and those of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen from their birth until this day. Then Moses departed from Pharaoh.
7 And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God; do you not yet understand and know that Egypt is destroyed?
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh; and he said to them, Go, serve the Lord your God; but just who are to go?
9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds [all of us and all we have], for we must hold a feast to the Lord.
10 Pharaoh said to them, Let the Lord be with you, if I ever let you go with your little ones! See, you have some evil purpose in mind.
11 Not so! You that are men, [without your families] go and serve the Lord, for that is what you want. And [Moses and Aaron] were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the Lord 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 all the vegetation of the land, all that the hail has left.
13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14 And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled down on the whole country of Egypt, a very dreadful mass of them; never before were there such locusts as these, nor will there ever be again.
15 For they covered the whole land, so that the ground was darkened, and they ate every bit of vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; there remained not a green thing of the trees or the plants of the field in all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron in haste. He said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and you.
17 Now therefore forgive my sin, I pray you, only this once, and entreat the Lord your God only that He may remove from me this [plague of] death.
18 Then Moses left Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.
19 And the Lord turned a violent west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the country of Egypt.
20 But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart more strong and obstinate, and he would not let the Israelites go.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness which may be felt.
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and for three days a thick darkness was all over the land of Egypt.
23 The Egyptians could not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the Israelites had natural light in their dwellings.
24 And Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, Go, serve the Lord; let your little ones also go with you; it is only your flocks and your herds that must not go.
25 But Moses said, You must give into our hand also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
26 Our livestock also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for of them must we take to serve the Lord our God, and we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.
27 But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stronger and more stubborn, and he would not let them go.
28 And Pharaoh said to Moses, Get away from me! See that you never enter my presence again, for the day you see my face again you shall die!
29 And Moses said, You have spoken truly; I will never see your face again.
Exodus 10
New King James Version
The Eighth Plague: Locusts(A)
10 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; (B)for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, (C)that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that (D)you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may (E)know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to (F)humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may (G)serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring (H)locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and (I)they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall (J)fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh’s (K)servants said to him, “How long shall this man be (L)a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”
9 And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for (M)we must hold a feast to the Lord.”
10 Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven (N)out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, (O)“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and (P)eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And (Q)the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; (R)previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they (S)covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they (T)ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh called (U)for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, (V)“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and (W)entreat[a] the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” 18 So he (X)went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. 19 And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them (Y)into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the Lord (Z)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, (AA)“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, [b]darkness which may even be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was (AB)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt (AC)three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. (AD)But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and (AE)said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your (AF)little ones also go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also give [c]us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our (AG)livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”
27 But the Lord (AH)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, (AI)“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29 So Moses said, “You have spoken well. (AJ)I will never see your face again.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 10:17 make supplication to
- Exodus 10:21 Lit. that one may feel the darkness
- Exodus 10:25 Lit. into our hands
Exodus 10
English Standard Version
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, 2 and (A)that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, (B)that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to (C)humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring (D)locusts into your country, 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall (E)eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, 6 and they shall fill (F)your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, (G)“Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for (H)we must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10 But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your (I)little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.[a] 11 No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, (J)“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and (K)eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 (L)The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, (M)such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 15 They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and (N)they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, (O)“I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and (P)plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 18 So (Q)he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 19 And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them (R)into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 20 But the Lord (S)hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, (T)“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be (U)darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but (V)all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, (W)“Go, serve the Lord; (X)your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord (Y)hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! (Z)I will not see your face again.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 10:10 Hebrew before your face
Exodus 10
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 10
Eighth Plague: The Locusts.[a] 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his ministers so that I may perform these signs in their midst 2 and so that you can tell your sons and grandsons how I dealt with the Egyptians and the signs I worked in their midst so that they may know that I am the Lord.”
3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so that they may serve me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, behold, I will send locusts upon your land. 5 They will cover the entire country so that you cannot even see the soil. They will devour what is left, whatever survived the hail, and they will devour every tree that grows in your fields. 6 They will fill your house, the houses of all your ministers and the houses of all the Egyptians, so many that even your fathers never saw so many, nor the fathers of your fathers, from when they came into this land until today.’ ” He turned and left Pharaoh.
7 The ministers of Pharaoh said to him, “How long will he be a snare to us? Let this people go to serve the Lord, their God. Otherwise Egypt may be ruined.”
8 Moses and Aaron were summoned to Pharaoh who said to them, “Go, serve the Lord, your God. But who will leave with you?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our animals and our flocks, so that we can celebrate a feast of the Lord.”
10 [b]Pharaoh answered, “The Lord be with you, if I let you and your children leave. Clearly you have an evil project in mind. 11 No! Have only the men go with you and serve the Lord. That is what you want.” They then went out from Pharaoh.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to send locusts. Let them come down upon the land of Egypt to eat every plant that the hail spared.” 13 Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind over the land all that day and all that night. By the morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt and settled on every part of the territory of Egypt. It was very serious, so bad that it had never been as bad before nor would it ever be as bad again in the future. 15 They covered the whole land so that the land was darkened. They devoured every plant in the land and every fruit tree that the hail had spared. Not a green leaf remained upon the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord, your God, and against you. 17 But now once again forgive my sin and pray to the Lord, your God, so that he may turn aside this death from me.”
18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 The Lord changed the direction of the wind and made a strong wind blow from the sea. It carried the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There was not one locust left in all the land of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the children of Israel leave.
21 Ninth Plague: The Darkness.[c] The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens. Darkness will come upon the land of Egypt, so dark that one can feel it.”
22 Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens. Darkness came upon the land of Egypt for three days. 23 People could not see each other, and for three days no one could move around. But there was light where the children of Israel were living.[d]
24 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Leave, and serve the Lord. Take your babies with you. Only leave your flocks and herds here.”
25 Moses answered, “You must also grant us sacrifices and burnt offerings that we will offer to the Lord, our God. 26 Our animals, too, must leave with us; not even a hoof will be left behind. We must choose the sacrificial victims that we will offer to the Lord, our God, from among them, and we will not know how to serve the Lord until we will have arrived in that place.” 27 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh who would not let them go. 28 Pharaoh therefore said to Moses, “Leave me! Make sure that you never see me again, for the next time you see my face, you will die.” 29 Moses said, “You have spoken well, for I will not see your face again.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 10:1 By remaining obstinate, Pharaoh furnishes God with the occasion to multiply his wonders and show that he is really the Lord.
- Exodus 10:10 Pharaoh does not trust the Hebrews and wants to keep the women and children in Egypt as hostages.
- Exodus 10:21 Is this the rupture between Moses and Pharaoh? All Moses’ warnings have remained without effect.
- Exodus 10:23 The Israelites were spared the destructive effects of the plagues, whereas the Egyptians had a foretaste of what hell is like. We have the assurance of God’s faithfulness to those who remain faithful to God (see Deut 7:6).
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
