< Exodus 9 >
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
And the Lord said to Moses, Go in to Pharao, and thou shalt say to him, These things saith the Lord God of the Hebrews; Send my people away that they may serve me.
2 But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,
If however thou wilt not send my people away, but yet detainest them:
3 then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
behold, the hand of the Lord shall be upon thy cattle in the fields, both on the horses, and on the asses, and on the camels and oxen and sheep, a very great mortality.
4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
And I will make a marvellous distinction in that time between the cattle of the Egyptians, and the cattle of the children of Israel: nothing shall die of all that is of the children's of Israel.
5 The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
And God fixed a limit, saying, To-morrow the Lord will do this thing on the land.
6 And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
And the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the cattle of the Egyptians died, but of the cattle of the children of Israel there died not one.
7 Pharaoh sent officials and found that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.
And when Pharao saw, that of all the cattle of the children of Israel there died not one, the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air.
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Take you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward heaven before Pharao, and before his servants.
9 It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.”
And let it become dust over all the land of Egypt, and there shall be upon men and upon beasts sore blains breaking forth both on men and on beasts, in all the land of Egypt.
10 So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast.
So he took of the ashes of the furnace before Pharao, and Moses scattered it toward heaven, and it became sore blains breaking forth both on men and on beasts.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians.
And the sorcerers could not stand before Moses because of the sores, for the sores were on the sorcerers, and in all the land of Egypt.
12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he hearkened not to them, as the Lord appointed.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
And the Lord said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharao; and thou shalt say to him, These things saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Send away my people that they may serve me.
14 Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
For at this present time do I send forth all my plagues into thine heart, and the heart of thy servants and of thy people; that thou mayest know that there is not another such as I in all the earth.
15 For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth.
For now I will stretch forth my hand and smite thee and kill thy people, and thou shalt be consumed from off the earth.
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
And for this purpose hast thou been preserved, that I might display in thee my strength, and that my name might bepublished in all the earth.
17 Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
Dost thou then yet exert thyself to hinder my people, so as not to let them go?
18 Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.
Behold, to-morrow at this hour I will rain a very great hail, such as has not been in Egypt, from the time it was created until this day.
19 So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”
Now then hasten to gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the fields; for all the men and cattle as many as shall be found in the fields, and shall not enter into a house, (but the hail shall fall upon them, ) shall die.
20 Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter,
He of the servants of Pharao that feared the word of the Lord, gathered his cattle into the houses.
21 but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
And he that did not attend in his mind to the word of the Lord, left the cattle in the fields.
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out thine hand to heaven, and there shall be hail on all the land of Egypt, both on the men and on the cattle, and on all the herbage on the land.
23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his hand to heaven, and the Lord sent thunderings and hail; and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the Lord rained hail on all the land of Egypt.
24 The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
So there was hail and flaming fire mingled with hail; and the hail was very great, such as was not in Egypt, from the time there was a nation upon it.
25 Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.
And the hail smote in all the land of Egypt both man and beast, and the hail smote all the grass in the field, and the hail broke in pieces all the trees in the field.
26 The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
Only in the land of Gesem where the children of Israel were, the hail was not.
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
And Pharao sent and called Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time: the Lord [is] righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
28 Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
Pray then for me to the Lord, and let him cause the thunderings of God to cease, and the hail and the fire, and I will send you forth and ye shall remain no longer.
29 Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
And Moses said to him, When I shall have departed from the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord, and the thunderings shall cease, and the hail and the rain shall be no longer, that thou mayest know that the earth [is] the Lord's.
30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.”
But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye have not yet feared the Lord.
31 (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;
And the flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was advanced, and the flax was seeding.
32 but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were late.
33 Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
And Moses went forth from Pharao out of the city, and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunders ceased and the hail, and the rain did not drop on the earth.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials.
And when Pharao saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders ceased, he continued to sin; and [he] hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
And the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he did not send forth the children of Israel, as the Lord said to Moses.