Exodus 10
1 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants. I have done this to show these signs of my power among them.
And the Lord said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh: for I have made his heart and the hearts of his servants hard, so that I may let my signs be seen among them:
2 I have also done this so that you may tell your children and grandchildren the things I have done, how I have harshly treated Egypt, and how I have given various signs of my power among them. In this way you will know that I am Yahweh.”
And so that you may be able to give to your son and to your son's son the story of my wonders in Egypt, and the signs which I have done among them; so that you may see that I am the Lord.
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may worship me.
Then Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you be lifted up in your pride before me? let my people go so that they may give me worship.
4 But if you refuse to let my people go, listen, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your land.
For if you will not let my people go, tomorrow I will send locusts into your land:
5 They will cover the surface of the ground so that no one will be able to see the earth. They will eat the remains of whatever escaped from the hail. They will also eat every tree that grows for you in the fields.
And the face of the earth will be covered with them, so that you will not be able to see the earth: and they will be the destruction of everything which up to now has not been damaged, everything which was not crushed by the ice-storm, and every tree still living in your fields.
6 They will fill your houses, those of all your servants, and those of all the Egyptians—something neither your father nor your grandfather ever saw, nothing ever seen since the day that they were on the earth to this present day.'” Then Moses left and went out from Pharaoh.
And your houses will be full of them, and the houses of your servants and of all the Egyptians; it will be worse than anything your fathers have seen or their fathers, from the day when they were living on the earth till this day. And so he went out from Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us? Let the Israelites go so that they may worship Yahweh their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?”
And Pharaoh's servants said to him, How long is this man to be the cause of evil to us? let the men go so that they may give worship to the Lord their God: are you not awake to Egypt's danger?
8 Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, who said to them, “Go worship Yahweh your God. But what people will go?”
Then Moses and Aaron came in again before Pharaoh: and he said to them, Go and give worship to the Lord your God: but which of you are going?
9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and our daughters. We will go with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a festival for Yahweh.”
And Moses said, We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds; for we are to keep a feast to the Lord.
10 Pharaoh said to them, “May Yahweh indeed be with you, if I ever let you go and your little ones go. Look, you have some evil in mind.
And he said to them, May the Lord be with you, if I will let you and your little ones go! take care, for your purpose clearly is evil.
11 No! Go, just the men among you, and worship Yahweh, for that is what you want.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
Not so; but let your males go and give worship to the Lord, as your desire is. This he said, driving them out from before him.
12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt to the locusts, that they may attack the land of Egypt and eat every plant in it, everything that the hail has left.”
And the Lord said to Moses, Let your hand be stretched out over the land of Egypt so that the locusts may come up on the land for the destruction of every green plant in the land, even everything untouched by the ice-storm.
13 Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind over the land all that day and night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.
And Moses' rod was stretched out over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind over the land all that day and all the night; and in the morning the locusts came up with the east wind.
14 The locusts went through all the land of Egypt and infested all parts of it. Never before had there been such a swarm of locusts in the land, and nothing like this will come after it.
And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, resting on every part of the land, in very great numbers; such an army of locusts had never been seen before, and never will be again.
15 They covered the surface of the whole land so that it was darkened. They ate every plant in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Throughout all the land of Egypt, no living green plant remained, nor any tree or plant in the fields.
For all the face of the earth was covered with them, so that the land was black; and every green plant and all the fruit of the trees which was untouched by the ice-storm they took for food: not one green thing, no plant or tree, was to be seen in all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you.
Then Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron, and said, I have done evil against the Lord your God and against you.
17 Now then, forgive my sin this time, and pray to Yahweh your God that he will take this death away from me.”
Let me now have forgiveness for my sin this time only, and make prayer to the Lord your God that he will take away from me this death only.
18 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh.
So he went out from Pharaoh and made prayer to the Lord.
19 Yahweh brought a very strong west wind that picked up the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds; not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
And the Lord sent a very strong west wind, which took up the locusts, driving them into the Red Sea; not one locust was to be seen in any part of Egypt.
20 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go.
But the Lord made Pharaoh's heart hard, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness that may be felt.”
And the Lord said to Moses, Let your hand be stretched out to heaven, and all the land of Egypt will be dark, so that men will be feeling their way about in the dark.
22 Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
And when Moses' hand was stretched out, dark night came over all the land of Egypt for three days;
23 No one could see anyone else; no one left his home for three days. However, all the Israelites had light in the place where they lived.
They were not able to see one another, and no one got up from his place for three days: but where the children of Israel were living it was light.
24 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go worship Yahweh. Even your families may go with you, but your flocks and herds must remain behind.”
Then Pharaoh sent for Moses, and said, Go and give worship to the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept here: your little ones may go with you.
25 But Moses said, “You must also give us animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings so that we may sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.
But Moses said, You will have to let us take burned offerings to put before the Lord our God.
26 Our cattle must also go with us; not a hoof of them may be left behind, for we must take them to worship Yahweh our God. For we do not know with what we must worship Yahweh until we arrive there.”
So our cattle will have to go with us, not one may be kept back; for they are needed for the worship of the Lord our God; we have no knowledge what offering we have to give till we come to the place.
27 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
But the Lord made Pharaoh's heart hard, and he would not let them go.
28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Go from me! Be careful about one thing, that you do not see me again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
And Pharaoh said to him, Go away from me, take care that you come not again before me; for the day when you see my face again will be your last.
29 Moses said, “You yourself have spoken. I will not see your face again.”
And Moses said, You say truly; I will not see your face again.
