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5: Death of animals

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Israelites says this: Let my people go so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, you will have more trouble. If you still keep them in Egypt, the Lord will punish you. He will send a very bad illness on all your animals. Your animals in the fields, your horses, donkeys, camels, cows, sheep and goats will all become very ill. But the Lord will make a difference between the animals of the Israelites and the animals of the Egyptians. None of the animals of the Israelites will die.” ’

The Lord decided when this would happen. He said, ‘Tomorrow I will make this happen in the land of Egypt.’ So on the next day, the Lord did it! All the animals of the Egyptians died. But not one of the animals of the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent his men to see what had happened. They saw that not one of the animals of the Israelites was dead! But Pharaoh's mind was still hard. He did not let the people go.

6: Boils

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take in your hands some ashes from an oven. Throw them up in the air as Pharaoh watches. They will become very small dust over the whole country of Egypt. The dust will cause boils to appear on the skin of people and animals. It will happen all over Egypt.’

10 So they took ashes from an oven and they stood in front of Pharaoh. Moses threw the ashes up in the air. Then bad boils appeared on both people and animals. 11 All the Egyptians had boils, even the magicians. Because of the boils, the magicians could not stand in front of Moses. 12 But Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. The Lord caused Pharaoh's mind to be hard. The Lord had told Moses that this would happen, and it did!

7: Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Get up early in the morning and go to Pharaoh. Say to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Israelites says: Let my people go to worship me. 14 This time, I will send all my troubles to punish you. I will send them against you, your officers and your people. I want you to know that there is nobody as great as me in the whole earth. That is why I am doing this. 15 Already I could have used my power to destroy you and your people. With one very bad trouble, I could have removed you from the earth. 16 But I have let you live, to show you my power. Then people all over the world will know how great I am. 17 You are still too proud to let my people go.

18 Look! Tomorrow at this time, I will send a very great storm of hail. Nobody has ever seen hail fall like this in Egypt before now. From Egypt's first day as a country until today, nobody has seen a storm like this. 19 Now send your servants out to tell this message to your people. You must bring into your houses all your animals from the fields to be safe. The hail will fall on every person and on every animal that is still outside. They will all die.” ’

20 Some of Pharaoh's officers were afraid of what the Lord said he would do. So they quickly brought their servants and animals inside their houses. 21 But others did not believe the Lord's message. They left their servants and animals outside in the fields.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift up your hand towards the sky. Then hail will fall over all the country of Egypt. It will fall on people and on animals. It will fall on all the plants that grow in the fields of Egypt.’

23 When Moses lifted up his stick towards the sky, the Lord sent a great storm. He sent thunder, hail and lightning. 24 The hail fell and there was lightning like fire. It was the worst storm anywhere in Egypt since Egypt had become a nation. 25 Everywhere in Egypt, the hail knocked down everything that was in the fields. It knocked down both people and animals. It knocked down all the plants in the fields and it broke all the trees. 26 But no hail fell in the region of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

27 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron to come to him. He said to them, ‘This time, I have done a bad thing. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty. 28 The storms with the thunder and the hail are too much for us! Pray to the Lord to take them away. Then I will let you go! You do not need to stay any longer in Egypt.’

29 Then Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands to the Lord and I will pray to him. The storm will stop and there will be no more hail. Then you will know that the whole world belongs to the Lord. 30 But I know you and your officers. You still do not respect the Lord God.’[a]

31 At that time, the barley was ripe in the fields and the flax was nearly ripe. So the storm of hail destroyed the flax and the barley. 32 But the hail did not destroy the wheat and other grains. Those crops become ripe later in the year.[b]

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and he went out of the city. He lifted up his hands to the Lord and he prayed. Then the storms and the hail stopped. The heavy rain stopped falling on the earth.

34 Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the storms had stopped. So he did a bad thing again. His mind and his officers' minds became hard. 35 Pharaoh still refused to obey God. He did not let the Israelites go. The Lord had told Moses that this would happen, and it did!

Footnotes

  1. 9:30 Moses knew that Pharaoh and his servants were not really afraid of God. They only wanted their problems to go away. They wanted the bad things that were happening to stop.
  2. 9:32 Flax is a plant. People make cloth from the flax plant. Barley is a food plant. Wheat is also a food plant that makes grains. These plants had not yet grown as tall, so the hail did not destroy them.

De vijfde ramp: het vee gaat dood

De Heer zei tegen Mozes: "Ga naar de farao. Zeg tegen hem: 'Dit zegt de Heer, de God van de Hebreeën: Laat mijn volk gaan om Mij te aanbidden. Als u hen nog steeds niet wil laten gaan, zal Ik al uw vee in het veld doden. Al uw paarden, ezels, kamelen, koeien, geiten en schapen zal Ik doden door de pest. Maar Ik zal verschil maken tussen het vee van de Israëlieten en het vee van de Egyptenaren. Niet één dier van de Israëlieten zal sterven.' " De Heer zei ook wanneer Hij dat zou doen: "Morgen zal Ik dit doen." En de Heer deed dit op de volgende dag. Al het vee van de Egyptenaren ging dood, maar geen één dier van de Israëlieten stierf. De farao stuurde mensen om te gaan kijken en inderdaad: niet één dier van de Israëlieten was gestorven. Toch bleef de farao koppig en liet het volk niet gaan.

De zesde ramp: zweren

De Heer zei tegen Mozes en Aäron: "Schep met je handen as uit een brood-oven. Ga naar de farao en gooi de as in de lucht. De as zal veranderen in stof dat zich over heel Egypte verspreidt. Alle mensen en dieren in heel Egypte zullen er zweren met blaren van krijgen." 10 Toen haalden ze as uit een brood-oven. Ze gingen ermee voor de farao staan en Mozes gooide de as in de lucht. Toen kregen alle mensen en dieren grote, dikke zweren met blaren. 11 De tovenaars waren door die zweren te ziek om bij Mozes te blijven staan. Want zij kregen net zo goed zweren als alle andere Egyptenaren. 12 Maar de Heer zorgde ervoor dat de farao koppig bleef, zodat hij niet naar hen wilde luisteren – zoals de Heer ook tegen Mozes gezegd had.

De zevende ramp: hagel

13 De Heer zei tegen Mozes: "Sta morgenochtend vroeg op en ga naar de farao. Zeg tegen hem: 'Dit zegt de Heer, de God van de Hebreeën: Laat mijn volk gaan om Mij te aanbidden. 14 Want nu zal Ik al mijn rampen over uzelf, uw dienaren en uw volk uitstorten. Dan zult u toegeven dat er op de hele aarde niemand is zoals Ik. 15 Ik had u en uw volk al lang kunnen doden met de pest. 16 Maar Ik laat u in leven om u mijn kracht te laten zien. Zo zal op de hele aarde bekend worden wie Ik ben. 17 U wil mijn volk nog steeds niet laten gaan. 18 Daarom zal Ik het morgen om deze tijd zwaar laten hagelen. Nog nooit eerder heeft het zó zwaar gehageld in Egypte. 19 Laat dus uw kudden en alles wat u aan dieren op het veld heeft, binnen brengen. Alle mensen en dieren die buiten zijn en niet naar binnen gaan, zullen door de hagel worden gedood." 20 Sommige dienaren van de farao geloofden wat de Heer zei. Zij brachten hun knechten en hun vee in veiligheid in de huizen. 21 Maar de dienaren die het niet geloofden, lieten hun knechten en hun vee op het veld.

22 De Heer zei tegen Mozes: "Steek je hand op naar de hemel. Dan zal het in heel Egypte gaan hagelen. De hagel zal op alle mensen, dieren en planten in Egypte vallen." 23 Toen stak Mozes zijn staf omhoog naar de hemel. En de Heer liet een zware onweersbui met hagel komen. Bliksemflitsen schoten naar de aarde en het hagelde in heel Egypte. 24 De bliksem flitste door de hagelbuien heen en in heel Egypte hagelde het verschrikkelijk. Het had nog nooit zó zwaar gehageld in de geschiedenis van het land. 25 De hagelstenen sloegen in heel Egypte alles plat wat op het veld was: mensen, dieren en planten. Ook alle bomen braken af door de hagel. 26 Alleen in het land Gosen, waar de Israëlieten woonden, hagelde het niet.

27 Toen liet de farao Mozes en Aäron komen en zei tegen hen: "Ik zie nu dat ik ongehoorzaam aan de Heer ben geweest. De Heer is rechtvaardig, maar ik en mijn volk hebben verkeerd gedaan. 28 Bid tot de Heer dat Hij het onweer en de hagel doet ophouden. Dit is te erg. Dan zal ik jullie laten gaan. Jullie hoeven niet langer te blijven."

29 Mozes zei tegen hem: "Zodra ik buiten de stad ben, zal ik tot de Heer bidden. Het onweer zal ophouden en het zal niet meer hagelen. Dan zult u toegeven dat de aarde van de Heer is. 30 Maar ik weet dat u en uw dienaren nog steeds geen ontzag hebben voor de Heer God." 31 (Het vlas en de gerst waren door de hagel platgeslagen, want de gerst had al aren en het vlas stond net in bloei. 32 Maar de tarwe en de spelt waren niet platgeslagen, want die groeien later.) 33 Mozes ging bij de farao weg. Hij ging de stad uit, stak zijn handen op naar de Heer en bad tot Hem. Toen hield het zware onweer op en de hagel en de stortregen stopten.

34 Maar toen de farao zag dat de regen, de hagel en het zware onweer waren opgehouden, veranderde hij van gedachten. 35 Hij en zijn dienaren bleven koppig. Hij liet de Israëlieten niet gaan – zoals de Heer al door Mozes gezegd had.

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