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Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and tell him, Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

If you refuse to let them go and still hold them,

Behold, the hand of the Lord [will fall] upon your livestock which are out in the field, upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds and the flocks; there shall be a very severe plague.

But the Lord shall make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, and nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.

And the Lord set a time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.

And the Lord did that the next day, and all [kinds of] the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the Israelites not one died.

Pharaoh sent to find out, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened [his mind was set] and he did not let the people go.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Take handfuls of ashes or soot from the brickkiln and let Moses sprinkle them toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.

And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast in all the land [occupied by the Egyptians].

10 So they took ashes or soot of the kiln and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw them toward the sky, and it became boils erupting in sores on man and beast.

11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of their boils; for the boils were on the magicians and all the Egyptians.

12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, making it strong and obstinate, and he did not listen to them or heed them, just as the Lord had told Moses.

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

14 For this time I will send all My plagues upon your heart and upon your servants and your people, that you may recognize and know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

15 For by now I could have put forth My hand and have struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.

16 But for this very purpose have I let you live, that I might show you My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.(A)

17 Since you are still exalting yourself [in haughty defiance] against My people by not letting them go,

18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very heavy and dreadful fall of hail, such as has not been in Egypt from its founding until now.

19 Send therefore now and gather your cattle in hastily, and all that you have in the field; for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home shall be struck by the hail and shall die.

20 Then he who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses and shelters.

21 And he who ignored the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 The Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth your hand toward the heavens, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast, and upon all the vegetation of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.

23 Then Moses stretched forth his rod toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire (lightning) ran down to and along the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

24 So there was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the weighty hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 The hail struck down throughout all the land of Egypt everything that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail beat down all the vegetation of the field and shattered every tree of the field.

26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, was there no hail.

27 And Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time; the Lord is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong.

28 Entreat the Lord, for there has been enough of these mighty thunderings and hail [these voices of God]; I will let you go; you shall stay here no longer.

29 Moses said to him, As soon as I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord; the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.

30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet [reverently] fear the Lord God.

31 The flax and the barley were smitten and ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax in bloom.

32 But the wheat and spelt [another wheat] were not smitten, for they ripen late and were not grown up yet.

33 So Moses left the city and Pharaoh, and stretched forth his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and hail ceased, and rain was no longer poured upon the earth.

34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more, and toughened and stiffened his hard heart, he and his servants.

35 So Pharaoh’s heart was strong and obstinate; he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said by Moses.(B)

The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased

Then the Lord said to Moses, (A)“Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may (B)serve Me. For if you (C)refuse to let them go, and still hold them, behold, the (D)hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. And (E)the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ” Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”

So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and (F)all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the (G)heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

The Sixth Plague: Boils(H)

So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause (I)boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused (J)boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the (K)magicians could not stand before Moses because of the (L)boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he (M)did not heed them, just (N)as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

The Seventh Plague: Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, (O)“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may (P)serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, (Q)that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had (R)stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with (S)pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for (T)this purpose I have raised you up, that I may (U)show My power in you, and that My (V)name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”

20 He who (W)feared the word of the Lord among the (X)servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be (Y)hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and (Z)the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the (AA)hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 (AB)Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

27 And Pharaoh sent and (AC)called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, (AD)“I have sinned this time. (AE)The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 (AF)Entreat[a] the Lord, that there may be no more [b]mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you (AG)go, and you shall stay no longer.”

29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will (AH)spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the (AI)earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, (AJ)I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”

31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, (AK)for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are [c]late crops.

33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and (AL)spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So (AM)the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 9:28 Pray to, Make supplication to
  2. Exodus 9:28 Lit. voices of God or sounds of God
  3. Exodus 9:32 Lit. darkened

The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die

Then the Lord said to Moses, (A)“Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says (B)the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, (C)the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. (D)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” And the next day the Lord did this thing. (E)All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But (F)the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Sixth Plague: Boils

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become (G)boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And (H)the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 (I)But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as (J)the Lord had spoken to Moses.

The Seventh Plague: Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, (K)“Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself,[a] and on your servants and your people, so (L)that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 (M)But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so (N)that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 (O)You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, (P)get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be (Q)hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” 23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the (R)Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail (S)struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 (T)Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time (U)I have sinned; the (V)Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 (W)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. 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, (X)I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that (Y)the earth is the Lord's. 30 But as for you and your servants, (Z)I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” 31 (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the emmer[b] were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and (AA)stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and (AB)hardened his heart, (AC)he and his servants. 35 So (AD)the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 9:14 Hebrew on your heart
  2. Exodus 9:32 A type of wheat

Chapter 9

Fifth Plague: The Pestilence on Livestock. The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Let my people go so that they can serve me. If you refuse to permit them to leave and you continue to hinder them, the hand of the Lord will come upon your animals in the fields: upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, upon your herds and flocks, with a horrible plague. But the Lord will distinguish between the animals of Israel and those of the Egyptians, so that none of those that belong to the children of Israel will die.” ’ ”

The Lord established the date saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will accomplish this thing in the land.”[a] The next day, the Lord accomplished this thing. All the animals in Egypt died, but the animals of the children of Israel did not die, not even one of them. Pharaoh sent men to find out, and not one of the animals of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh remained hardened, and he would not let the people go.

Sixth Plague: The Boils.[b] The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Take two handfuls of ashes from the furnace. Moses is to throw them into the air in front of Pharaoh. It will become a fine powder that will spread throughout the whole land and will produce running sores upon the people and the animals throughout the land of Egypt.” 10 They therefore took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw them into the air, and they produced running sores on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand in the presence of Moses because of the sores that had struck them as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened. He did not listen to them, as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

13 Seventh Plague: The Hail.[c] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and proclaim, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! 14 This time I will send all of my plagues against you, against your ministers, and against all your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me upon the whole earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plagues that would have wiped you off the face of the earth. 16 Instead, I let you live to show you my power and so that my name might be proclaimed all throughout the earth. 17 Will you still oppose my people and not let them leave? 18 Behold, I will send a terribly violent hail tomorrow at this time as has never been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until today. 19 Send word to gather your animals and whatever is in the field into a safe shelter. Hail will fall upon all the people and upon all the animals that are in open countryside and that have not been brought into shelter, and they will die.” ’ ”

20 Some of the ministers of Pharaoh feared the Lord and brought their slaves and their animals into shelter.[d] 21 Others did not take the words of the Lord to heart, and they left their slaves and their animals in the open countryside.

22 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out toward the heavens. Let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon people, upon animals, and upon the plants of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched his staff toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord made hail rain down upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and lightning in the midst of the hail. The hail was so violent that nothing like it had ever been seen in the entire land of Egypt from the day it had become a nation. 25 The hail struck every person and animal that was in the open countryside throughout the land of Egypt. The hail also struck the plants in the field and splintered every tree in the open countryside. 26 Only the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, had no hail.

27 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty. 28 Pray to the Lord to stop the thunder and hail. I will let you leave. You need not stay any longer.” 29 Moses answered him, “When I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands toward the Lord. The thunder will cease, and the hail will end, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But as for you and your ministers, I know that you still do not fear the Lord God.”

31 The linen and barley was ruined, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was flowering. 32 But the wheat and the rye and the spelt were not harmed for they have a later season.

33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city. He extended his hand toward the Lord. The thunder and the hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down upon the land. 34 Pharaoh saw that the rain had stopped, as had the hail and the thunder, but he continued to sin and be stubborn, together with his ministers. 35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the children of Israel leave, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 9:5 God personally performs the miracle without Moses or Aaron or any staff. This should have been a persuasive event for Pharaoh to change his heart but he remains hardened.
  2. Exodus 9:8 This time the magicians are eliminated not without humor: in their turn they are victims of the wonder worked by Moses.
  3. Exodus 9:13 The God of Israel wants to be recognized and served as Lord of the whole earth. Pharaoh acknowledges his sin but his heart remains unchanged.
  4. Exodus 9:20 Some of Pharaoh’s ministers acknowledge the power of God and take action to protect their slaves and animals from the predicted hail storm.