13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(A)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: “(B)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I am going to send all My plagues [a]on you and your servants and your people, so that (C)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, (D)for this reason I have allowed you to [b]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 [c]by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, (E)I will [d]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded [e]until now. 19 So now, send word, bring (F)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. (G)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 (H)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who [f]feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; 21 but everyone who [g]did not pay regard to the word of the Lord [h]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 [i](I)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 [j]sent [k]thunder and (J)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 (K)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 (L)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh [l](M)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “(N)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 (O)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s [m]thunder and hail; and (P)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 (Q)spread out my [n]hands to the Lord; the [o]thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that (R)the earth is the Lords. 30 (S)But as for you and your servants, I know that (T)you do not yet [p]fear [q]the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the (U)barley were [r]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not [s]ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 (V)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his [t]hands to the Lord; and the [u]thunder and the hail stopped, and rain [v]no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the [w]thunder had stopped, he sinned again and [x]hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was [y]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the (W)Lord had spoken through Moses.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 9:14 Lit to your heart
  2. Exodus 9:16 Lit stand
  3. Exodus 9:17 Lit so as not to let
  4. Exodus 9:18 Lit cause to rain
  5. Exodus 9:18 Lit and until now
  6. Exodus 9:20 Or revered
  7. Exodus 9:21 Lit did not set his heart to
  8. Exodus 9:21 Lit then left
  9. Exodus 9:22 Lit there may be hail
  10. Exodus 9:23 Lit gave
  11. Exodus 9:23 Lit sounds
  12. Exodus 9:27 Lit sent and called
  13. Exodus 9:28 Lit sounds
  14. Exodus 9:29 Lit palms
  15. Exodus 9:29 Lit sounds
  16. Exodus 9:30 Or revere
  17. Exodus 9:30 Lit before the Lord
  18. Exodus 9:31 Lit struck
  19. Exodus 9:32 Lit struck
  20. Exodus 9:33 Lit palms
  21. Exodus 9:33 Lit sounds
  22. Exodus 9:33 Lit was not poured
  23. Exodus 9:34 Lit sounds
  24. Exodus 9:34 Lit made heavy
  25. Exodus 9:35 Lit strong

The Seventh Plague: Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 14 Otherwise, I am going to send all My plagues against you,[a] your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth.(A) 16 However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power(B) and to make My name known in all the earth. 17 You are still acting arrogantly against[b] My people by not letting them go. 18 Tomorrow at this time I will rain down the worst hail(C) that has ever occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Therefore give orders to bring your livestock and all that you have in the field into shelters. Every person and animal that is in the field and not brought inside will die when the hail falls on them.” 20 Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the Lord made their servants and livestock flee to shelters, 21 but those who didn’t take the Lord’s word seriously left their servants and livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail throughout the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt.” 23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail.(D) Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast. The hail beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree in the field. 26 The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were.(E)

27 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned this time,” he said to them. “Yahweh is the Righteous(F) One, and I and my people are the guilty ones. 28 Make an appeal to Yahweh. There has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go;(G) you don’t need to stay any longer.”

29 Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will extend my hands(H) to Yahweh. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know the earth(I) belongs to Yahweh. 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear Yahweh our God.”

31 The flax and the barley were destroyed because the barley was ripe[c] and the flax was budding,(J) 32 but the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed since they are later crops.[d]

33 Moses went out from Pharaoh and the city, and extended his hands to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail ceased, and rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his officials. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he did not let the Israelites go, as the Lord had said through Moses.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 9:14 Lit your heart
  2. Exodus 9:17 Or still obstructing
  3. Exodus 9:31 Lit was ears of grain
  4. Exodus 9:32 Lit are late