¹⁷ Yet still you exalt yourself over My people, by not letting them go. ¹⁸ Behold, tomorrow at about this time, I will cause it to rain a very severe hailstorm, the likes of which has not occurred in Egypt since the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ Send word, shelter your cattle and all that you have in the field. For every person and animal found in the field and not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, they will die.’”

²⁰ Whoever feared the word of Adonai among the servants of Pharaoh had his own servants and cattle flee into the houses, ²¹ but whoever disregarded the word of Adonai left his servants and cattle in the field.

²² Then Adonai said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people, animals and every plant of the field, throughout all the land.”

²³ So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and Adonai sent thunder and hail. Fire came down on the earth, as Adonai rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ The hail fell very severely, with fire flashing up amidst the hail, the likes of which had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck down everything that was in the fields, both men and animals, all throughout the land of Egypt. It also struck every plant of the field and broke down every tree. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where Bnei-Yisrael were, was there no hail.

²⁷ So Pharaoh sent, called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Adonai is righteous, while I and my people are wicked. ²⁸ Pray to Adonai—there has been enough of God’s thunders and hail! I will let you go. You don’t have to stay any longer.”

²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to Adonai. The thunder will cease and there will be no more hail—so you may know that the earth is Adonai’s. ³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Adonai Elohim.”

³¹ (The flax and the barley were destroyed, because the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. ³² But the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

³³ Moses went out of the city, away from Pharaoh, and stretched out his hands to Adonai. Then the thunder and hail ceased, and rain no longer poured down on the earth. ³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail and the thunder had ceased, he increased his sin and hardened his heart, both he and his servants. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he did not let Bnei-Yisrael go—just as Adonai had said by Moses’ hand.