Exodus 10
1 And YHWH says to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have declared his heart hard, and the heart of his servants, so that I set these signs of Mine in their midst,
The Lord told Moses, “Go and see Pharaoh, because it was me who gave him and his officials a stubborn attitude so that I may perform my miracles before them.
2 and so that you recount in the ears of your son, and of your son’s son, that which I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have set among them, and you have known that I [am] YHWH.”
This is so you can tell your children and grandchildren how I made the Egyptians look foolish by doing these miracles among them, and so that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3 And Moses comes in—Aaron also—to Pharaoh, and they say to him, “Thus said YHWH, God of the Hebrews: Until when have you refused to be humbled at My presence? Send My people away, and they serve Me,
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long are you going to refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they can worship me.
4 for if you are refusing to send My people away, behold, tomorrow I am bringing in the locust into your border,
If you refuse to let my people leave, tomorrow I will send a plague of locusts into your country.
5 and it has covered the eye of the land, and none is able to see the land, and it has eaten the remnant of that which is escaped, which is left to you from the hail, and it has eaten every tree which is springing out of the field for you;
There will be so many of them that they'll cover the ground so no one can see it. They will eat whatever crops were left by the hail, as well as every tree growing in your fields.
6 and they have filled your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither your fathers nor your father’s fathers have seen, since the day of their being on the ground to this day.” And he turns and goes out from Pharaoh.
They will swarm into your houses and into the houses of all your officials—in fact into the houses of every Egyptian. This is something that none of your forefathers ever saw from the time they arrived in this country.’” Then Moses and Aaron turned and left Pharaoh.
7 And the servants of Pharaoh say to him, “Until when does this [one] become a snare to us? Send the men away, and they serve their God YHWH; do you not yet know that Egypt has perished?”
Pharaoh's officials came to him and asked, “How long are you going to let this man cause us trouble? Let these people go so they can worship the Lord their God. Don't you realize that Egypt has been destroyed?”
8 And Moses is brought back—Aaron also—to Pharaoh, and he says to them, “Go, serve your God YHWH, but who—who [are] those going?”
Moses and Aaron were brought back to see Pharaoh. “Go and worship the Lord your God,” he told them. “But who of you will be going?”
9 And Moses says, “With our young ones, and with our aged ones, we go, with our sons, and with our daughters, with our flock, and our herd, we go, for we have a festival to YHWH.”
“We will all go,” Moses replied. “Young and old, sons and daughters—and we'll take our flocks and herds with us, for we're going to have a religious festival for the Lord.”
10 And he says to them, “Be it so, YHWH [is] with you when I send you and your infants away; see—for evil [is] before your faces.
“The Lord really would have to be with you if I let your children go with you!” Pharaoh answered. “Clearly you're planning some kind of evil trick!
11 Not so! Go now, you who [are] men, and serve YHWH, for that you are seeking”; and [one] casts them out from the presence of Pharaoh.
So no! Only the men can go and worship the Lord, because that's what you've been asking for.” Then he had Moses and Aaron thrown out.
12 And YHWH says to Moses, “Stretch out your hand against the land of Egypt for the locust, and it goes up against the land of Egypt, and eats every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.”
The Lord told Moses, “Lift up your hand over Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and eat every plant in the country—everything that was left by the hail.”
13 And Moses stretches out his rod against the land of Egypt, and YHWH has led an east wind over the land all that day, and all the night; the morning has been, and the east wind has lifted up the locust.
Moses held out his staff over Egypt, and all through that day and night the Lord sent an east wind blowing over the land. By the time morning came the east wind had brought in the locusts.
14 And the locust goes up against all the land of Egypt, and rests in all the border of Egypt—very grievous: before it there has not been such a locust as it, and after it there is none such;
The locusts swarmed across the land and settled in every part of the country. There had never been such a swarm of locusts ever before, and there won't be ever again.
15 and it covers the eye of all the land, and the land is darkened; and it eats every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail has left, and there has not been left any green thing in the trees, or in the herb of the field, in all the land of Egypt.
They covered the ground until it looked black, and they ate up all the plants in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had been left by the hail. Not a single green leaf was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 And Pharaoh hurries to call for Moses and for Aaron and says, “I have sinned against your God YHWH, and against you,
Pharaoh called urgently for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.
17 and now, please bear with my sin, only this time, and make supplication to your God YHWH, that He may turn aside from off me only this death.”
So please forgive my sin just this one time and plead with the Lord your God, asking him to at least take away this deathly plague from me.”
18 And he goes out from Pharaoh, and makes supplication to YHWH,
Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.
19 and YHWH turns a very strong sea wind, and it lifts up the locust, and blows it into the Red Sea—there has not been left one locust in all the border of Egypt;
The Lord changed the direction of the wind so that a strong westerly wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. There wasn't a single locust left anywhere in Egypt.
20 and YHWH strengthens the heart of Pharaoh, and he has not sent the sons of Israel away.
But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, and he would not let the Israelites go.
21 And YHWH says to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and there is darkness over the land of Egypt, and the darkness is felt.”
The Lord told Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky so that darkness will fall over Egypt, darkness so thick that it can be felt.”
22 And Moses stretches out his hand toward the heavens, and there is darkness—thick darkness in all the land of Egypt [for] three days;
Moses lifted up his hand toward heaven, and the whole of Egypt went completely dark for three days.
23 they have not seen one another, and none has risen from his place [for] three days; but there has been light for all the sons of Israel in their dwellings.
No one could see anyone else, and no one moved from where they were for three days. But there was still light where all the Israelites lived.
24 And Pharaoh calls to Moses and says, “Go, serve YHWH, only your flock and your herd are stayed, your infants also go with you”;
Eventually Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the Lord,” he said. “Just leave your flocks and herds here. You can even take your children with you.”
25 and Moses says, “You also give sacrifices and burnt-offerings in our hand, and we have prepared for our God YHWH;
But Moses replied, “You must also let us have animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings, so we can offer them to the Lord our God.
26 and also our livestock go with us—there is not left a hoof, for we take from it to serve our God YHWH; and we do not know how we serve YHWH until our going there.”
Our livestock have to go with us too—not a single animal will be left behind. We'll need some of them to worship the Lord our God, and we won't know how we are to worship the Lord until we get there.”
27 And YHWH strengthens the heart of Pharaoh, and he has not been willing to send them away;
But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, and he would not let them go.
28 and Pharaoh says to him, “Go from me, take heed to yourself, do not add to see my face, for in the day you see my face you die”;
Pharaoh shouted at Moses, “Get out of here! I don't want to see you ever again! If I ever do see you again you'll die!”
29 and Moses says, “You have spoken correctly, I do not add to see your face anymore.”
“May it be as you say,” Moses replied. “I won't see you again.”
