Exodus 9
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 9
Fifth Plague: The Pestilence on Livestock. 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Let my people go so that they can serve me. 2 If you refuse to permit them to leave and you continue to hinder them, 3 the hand of the Lord will come upon your animals in the fields: upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, upon your herds and flocks, with a horrible plague. 4 But the Lord will distinguish between the animals of Israel and those of the Egyptians, so that none of those that belong to the children of Israel will die.” ’ ”
5 The Lord established the date saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will accomplish this thing in the land.”[a] 6 The next day, the Lord accomplished this thing. All the animals in Egypt died, but the animals of the children of Israel did not die, not even one of them. 7 Pharaoh sent men to find out, and not one of the animals of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh remained hardened, and he would not let the people go.
Sixth Plague: The Boils.[b] 8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Take two handfuls of ashes from the furnace. Moses is to throw them into the air in front of Pharaoh. 9 It will become a fine powder that will spread throughout the whole land and will produce running sores upon the people and the animals throughout the land of Egypt.” 10 They therefore took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw them into the air, and they produced running sores on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand in the presence of Moses because of the sores that had struck them as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened. He did not listen to them, as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
13 Seventh Plague: The Hail.[c] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and proclaim, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! 14 This time I will send all of my plagues against you, against your ministers, and against all your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me upon the whole earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plagues that would have wiped you off the face of the earth. 16 Instead, I let you live to show you my power and so that my name might be proclaimed all throughout the earth. 17 Will you still oppose my people and not let them leave? 18 Behold, I will send a terribly violent hail tomorrow at this time as has never been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until today. 19 Send word to gather your animals and whatever is in the field into a safe shelter. Hail will fall upon all the people and upon all the animals that are in open countryside and that have not been brought into shelter, and they will die.” ’ ”
20 Some of the ministers of Pharaoh feared the Lord and brought their slaves and their animals into shelter.[d] 21 Others did not take the words of the Lord to heart, and they left their slaves and their animals in the open countryside.
22 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out toward the heavens. Let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon people, upon animals, and upon the plants of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched his staff toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord made hail rain down upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and lightning in the midst of the hail. The hail was so violent that nothing like it had ever been seen in the entire land of Egypt from the day it had become a nation. 25 The hail struck every person and animal that was in the open countryside throughout the land of Egypt. The hail also struck the plants in the field and splintered every tree in the open countryside. 26 Only the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, had no hail.
27 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty. 28 Pray to the Lord to stop the thunder and hail. I will let you leave. You need not stay any longer.” 29 Moses answered him, “When I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands toward the Lord. The thunder will cease, and the hail will end, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But as for you and your ministers, I know that you still do not fear the Lord God.”
31 The linen and barley was ruined, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was flowering. 32 But the wheat and the rye and the spelt were not harmed for they have a later season.
33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city. He extended his hand toward the Lord. The thunder and the hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down upon the land. 34 Pharaoh saw that the rain had stopped, as had the hail and the thunder, but he continued to sin and be stubborn, together with his ministers. 35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the children of Israel leave, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 9:5 God personally performs the miracle without Moses or Aaron or any staff. This should have been a persuasive event for Pharaoh to change his heart but he remains hardened.
- Exodus 9:8 This time the magicians are eliminated not without humor: in their turn they are victims of the wonder worked by Moses.
- Exodus 9:13 The God of Israel wants to be recognized and served as Lord of the whole earth. Pharaoh acknowledges his sin but his heart remains unchanged.
- Exodus 9:20 Some of Pharaoh’s ministers acknowledge the power of God and take action to protect their slaves and animals from the predicted hail storm.
Exodus 9
New American Standard Bible 1995
Egyptian Cattle Die
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “(A)Let My people go, 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 pestilence 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 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 of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. 7 Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel 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 let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become (I)boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. 11 (J)The [d]magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians [e]as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 And (K)the Lord [f]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, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “(M)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I will send all My plagues [g]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 if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16 But, indeed, (O)for this reason I have allowed you to [h]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17 Still you exalt yourself against My people [i]by not letting them go.
The Plague of Hail
18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, (P)I will [j]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded [k]until now. 19 Now therefore send, bring (Q)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. (R)Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” 20 (S)The one among the servants of Pharaoh who [l]feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21 but he who [m]paid no regard to the word of the Lord [n]left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that [o](T)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord [p]sent [q]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 [r]flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 (V)The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; 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, there was no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh [s](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)Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s [t]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 [u]hands to the Lord; the [v]thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, 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 [w]fear [x]the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the (AF)barley were [y]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not [z]ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 (AG)So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his [aa]hands to the Lord; and the [ab]thunder and the hail ceased, and rain [ac]no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the [ad]thunder had ceased, he sinned again and [ae]hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 Pharaoh’s heart was [af]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 9:11 Or soothsayer priests
- Exodus 9:11 Lit and on all
- 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 9:24 Lit taking hold of itself
- 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 reverence
- Exodus 9:30 Lit before the Lord
- Exodus 9:31 Lit smitten
- Exodus 9:32 Lit smitten
- 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
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
