Exodus 9
Expanded Bible
The Disease on the Farm Animals
9 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 2 If you refuse to let them go and ·continue to hold [tighten your grip on] them, 3 the ·Lord will punish you and will send [L hand of the Lord will strike with] a terrible ·disease [pestilence] on your farm animals that are in the fields. He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, and sheep to become sick. 4 But the Lord will ·treat Israel’s animals differently from [make a distinction between the animals of Israel and] the animals of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die. 5 The Lord has set tomorrow as the [L appointed] time he will do this in the land.’” 6 The next day the Lord did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the animals belonging to Israelites died. 7 ·The king [L Pharaoh] sent people to see what had happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had died. But the ·king was still stubborn [L heart of Pharaoh was hardened] and did not let the people go.
The Boils
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “·Fill your hands with [Take handfuls of] ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln]. Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. 9 The ·ashes [soot] will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere in the land [C perhaps skin anthrax].”
10 So Moses and Aaron took ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln] and went and stood before ·the king [L Pharaoh]. Moses threw ·ashes [the soot; L it] into the air, which caused boils to break out and become sores on people and animals. 11 The ·magicians [sorcerers] could not stand before Moses, because all the Egyptians had boils, even the ·magicians [sorcerers]. 12 But the Lord ·made the king stubborn [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh], so he refused to listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and ·go to the king of Egypt [stand before Pharaoh]. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 14 If you don’t, this time I will ·punish you, your officers, and your people, with all my power [L send all my plagues against you, your officers, and your people]. Then you will know there is no one in the whole land like me. 15 By now I could have ·used my power [L stretched out my hand] and caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from the earth. 16 But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so that my ·name [fame; reputation] will be ·talked about [recounted] in all the earth. 17 You are still [L exalting yourself] against my people and do not want to let them go. 18 So at this time tomorrow, I will send a ·terrible [very heavy] hailstorm, the worst in Egypt ·since it became a nation [L from the day it was founded until now]. 19 Now send for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.’” 20 Some of ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] officers ·respected [L feared] the word of the Lord and hurried to bring their slaves and animals inside. 21 But others ·ignored [L did not set their heart on] the Lord’s ·message [word] and left their slaves and animals in the fields.
22 The Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Stretch out] your hand toward the ·sky [heavens]. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals, and on ·everything that grows [all the plants] in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses ·raised his walking stick [stretched out his staff] toward the ·sky [heavens], the Lord sent thunder and hail, and ·lightning [L fire] ·flashed [L came] down to the earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed—the ·worst [most severe] hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 The hail ·destroyed [L struck] all the people and animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also ·destroyed [L struck] ·everything that grew [the plants] in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields. 26 The only place it did not hail was in the land of Goshen [8:22], where the Israelites lived.
27 ·The king [L Pharaoh] sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are ·in the wrong [guilty]. 28 ·Pray to [Entreat; Intercede with] the Lord. We have had enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay here any longer.”
29 Moses told ·the king [L him], “When I ·leave [L go out from] the city, I will ·raise [L spread] my hands to the Lord in prayer, and the thunder [L will cease] and hail will ·stop [L be no more]. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But I know that you and your officers do not yet fear the Lord God.”
31 The flax was in ·bloom [bud], and the barley ·had ripened [was in the ear], so these crops were ·destroyed [ruined]. 32 But ·both wheat crops [L the wheat and the spelt] ripen later, so they were not ·destroyed [ruined].
33 Moses left ·the king [L Pharaoh] and went outside the city. He ·raised [L spread] his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail ·stopped [L ceased]. The rain ·also stopped falling to [L no longer poured on] the ground. 34 When ·the king [L Pharaoh] saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ·stopped [L ceased], he sinned again, and he and his officers ·became stubborn [L hardened their hearts]. 35 So ·the king [L Pharaoh] ·became stubborn [L hardened his heart] and refused to let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through [L the hand of] Moses.
Exodus 9
New King James Version
The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, (A)“Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may (B)serve Me. 2 For if you (C)refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3 behold, the (D)hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. 4 And (E)the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ” 5 Then the Lord appointed a set 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; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7 Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the (G)heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils(H)
8 So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause (I)boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused (J)boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the (K)magicians could not stand before Moses because of the (L)boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he (M)did not heed them, just (N)as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, (O)“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may (P)serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, (Q)that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had (R)stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with (S)pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for (T)this purpose I have raised you up, that I may (U)show My power in you, and that My (V)name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”
20 He who (W)feared the word of the Lord among the (X)servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be (Y)hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and (Z)the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the (AA)hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 (AB)Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27 And Pharaoh sent and (AC)called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, (AD)“I have sinned this time. (AE)The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 (AF)Entreat[a] the Lord, that there may be no more [b]mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you (AG)go, and you shall stay no longer.”
29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will (AH)spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the (AI)earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, (AJ)I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”
31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, (AK)for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are [c]late crops.
33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and (AL)spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So (AM)the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 9:28 Pray to, Make supplication to
- Exodus 9:28 Lit. voices of God or sounds of God
- Exodus 9:32 Lit. darkened
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
