< Exodus 9 >
1 Then YHWH said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2 For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,
3 look, the hand of YHWH 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.
4 YHWH 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."'"
5 God appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow YHWH shall do this thing in the land."
6 YHWH 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.
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.
8 YHWH 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.
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."
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.
11 The magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians, and on all the Egyptians.
12 YHWH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as YHWH had spoken to Moses.
13 YHWH said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve 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.
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;
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;
17 as you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won't let them go.
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.
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."'"
20 Those who feared the word of YHWH among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses.
21 Whoever did not regard the word of YHWH left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22 YHWH 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."
23 Moses stretched forth his staff toward the heavens, and YHWH sent thunder, and hail, and fire fell to the earth. YHWH rained hail on the land of 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.
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.
26 Only in the land of Gesen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27 Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. YHWH is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
28 Pray to YHWH; for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail and fire. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."
29 Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to YHWH. The thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that you may know that the earth is YHWH's.
30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear YHWH God."
31 The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late.
33 Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to YHWH; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured on the land.
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.
35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, just as YHWH had spoken through Moses.
