Exodus 9
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
The Lord told Moses, “Go and speak to Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they can worship me.
2 For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,
If you refuse to let them go and keep holding onto them,
3 look, the hand of the LORD is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence.
I will punish you by bringing a very severe plague on your livestock—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
4 The LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children of Israel."'"
But the Lord will distinguish between the livestock of the Israelites and the Egyptians, so that none of those belonging to the Israelites will die.’
5 God appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land."
The Lord has set a time, saying, ‘Tomorrow this is what is going to happen here in the country.’”
6 The LORD did that thing on the next day; and all the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
The following day the Lord did what he had said. All the Egyptians' livestock died, but not a single animal belonging to the Israelites died.
7 Pharaoh sent, and, look, there was not so much as one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.
Pharaoh sent out officials and discovered that not a single one of the Israelites' livestock had died. But Pharaoh was stubborn, and he would not let the people leave.
8 The LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, "Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.
The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Go and get some handfuls of soot from a furnace. Then have Moses throw it into the air in front of Pharaoh.
9 It shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with boils on man and on animal, throughout all the land of Egypt."
It will spread like fine dust over the whole country of Egypt, and open sores will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
10 They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky; and it became a boil breaking forth with boils on man and on animal.
They got soot from a furnace, and went to see Pharaoh. Moses threw it into the air, and open sores broke out on people and animals.
11 The magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians, and on all the Egyptians.
The magicians were unable to come and appear before Moses, because they and all the other Egyptians were covered in sores.
12 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
But the Lord gave Pharaoh a stubborn attitude, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had told Moses.
13 The LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
The Lord told Moses, “Tomorrow morning get up early and 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 can worship me.
14 For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
This time I will direct all my plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you will realize that there is no one like me in all the earth.
15 For now I would have put forth my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth;
By now I could have reached out to strike you and your people with a plague that would have completely destroyed you.
16 but indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth;
However, I have let you live so you can see my power, and that my reputation may be spread throughout the earth.
17 as you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won't let them go.
But in your pride you are still tyrannizing my people, and refuse to let them leave.
18 Look, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.
So watch out! About this time tomorrow I will send down the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the beginning of its history until now.
19 Now therefore command that all of your livestock and all that you have in the field be brought into shelter. Every man and animal that is found in the field, and isn't brought home, the hail shall come down on them, and they shall die."'"
So order your livestock and everything you have in the field to be brought inside. Every person and every animal that stays outside and is not brought inside will die when the hail falls on them.’”
20 Those who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses.
Those of Pharaoh's officials who took seriously what the Lord said rushed to bring their servants and livestock inside.
21 Whoever did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
But those who didn't care what the Lord said left their servants and livestock outside.
22 The LORD said to Moses, "Stretch forth your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."
The Lord told Moses, “Lift your hand towards the sky so that a hailstorm will fall over the whole of Egypt, on people and on animals, and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.”
23 Moses stretched forth his staff toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder, and hail, and fire fell to the earth. The LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
Moses held up his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and made lightning hit the ground. This is how the Lord rained hail down on Egypt.
24 So there was very severe hail, and fire mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
As the hail fell it was accompanied by lightning flashing back and forth. The hail that fell was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in the whole of Egypt since the beginning of its history.
25 The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck every plant of the field, and broke every tree of the field.
All across Egypt hail hit everything in the fields, both people and animals. It knocked down everything growing in the fields, and stripped every tree bare.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
Only in the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived was there no hail.
27 Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them, “I admit that I sinned this time! The Lord is right, and I and my people are wrong!
28 Pray to the LORD; for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail and fire. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."
Pray to the Lord for us, because there's been more than enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you leave. You don't need to stay here any longer.”
29 Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to the LORD. The thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that you may know that the earth is the LORD's.
“Once I've left the city, I will pray to the Lord for you,” Moses told him. “The thunder will stop, and there'll be no more hail, so that you will realize that the earth belongs to the Lord.
30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."
But I know you and your officials still do not really respect the Lord our God.”
31 The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
(The flax and barley were destroyed, because the barley was ripe and the flax was flowering.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late.
However, the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed because they grow later.)
33 Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured on the land.
Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city, and prayed to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rainstorm finished.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again, and he chose to become stubborn again, along with his officials.
35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
Because of his stubborn attitude, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.
