Exodus 10
10
The Plague of Locusts
1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made him stubborn. I have also made his officials stubborn so I can perform my signs among them. 2Then you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren how hard I was on the Egyptians. You can tell them I performed my signs among the people of Egypt. And all of you will know that I am the Lord.”
3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to obey me? Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me. 4If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 5They will cover the ground so that it can’t be seen. They will eat what little you have left after the hail. That includes every tree growing in your fields. 6They will fill your houses. They will be in the homes of all your officials and your people. Your parents and your people before them have never seen anything like it as long as they have lived here.’ ” Then Moses turned around and left Pharaoh.
7Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a trap for us? Let the people go. Then they’ll be able to worship the Lord their God. After everything that’s happened, don’t you realize that Egypt is destroyed?”
8Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go. Worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”
9Moses answered, “We’ll go with our young people and old people. We’ll go with our sons and daughters. We’ll take our flocks and herds. We are supposed to hold a feast to honor the Lord.”
10Pharaoh said, “Suppose I ever let you go, along with your women and children. Then the Lord really will be with all of you! Clearly you are planning to do something bad. 11No! I’ll only allow the men to go and worship the Lord. After all, that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight.
12The Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand over Egypt so that locusts cover the land. They will eat up everything growing in the fields. They will eat up everything left by the hail.”
13So Moses reached out his walking stick over Egypt. Then the Lord made an east wind blow across the land. It blew all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts. 14Large numbers of them came down in every part of Egypt. There had never been a plague of locusts like it before. And there will never be one like it again. 15The locusts covered the ground until it was black. They ate up everything left after the hail. They ate up everything growing in the fields. They ate up the fruit on the trees. There was nothing green left on any tree or plant in the whole land of Egypt.
16Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God. I’ve also sinned against you. 17Now forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18After Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the Lord. 19The Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts. It blew them into the Red Sea. Not even one locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn. So Pharaoh wouldn’t let the people of Israel go.
The Plague of Darkness
21The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Reach out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt. It will be so dark that people can feel it.” 22So Moses reached out his hand toward the sky. Then complete darkness covered Egypt for three days. 23No one could see anyone else or go anywhere for three days. But all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
24Then Pharaoh sent for Moses. He said to him, “Go. Worship the Lord. Even your women and children can go with you. Just leave your flocks and herds behind.”
25But Moses said, “You must allow us to take our animals. We need to offer them as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God. 26Our livestock must also go with us. We have to use some of them to worship the Lord our God. We can’t leave even one animal behind. Until we get there, we won’t know what we are supposed to use to worship the Lord.”
27But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn. So he wouldn’t let the people go. 28Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you don’t come to see me again! If you do, you will die.”
29“I’ll do just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never come to see you again.”
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Exodus 10: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Exodus 10
10
1 And the Lord said to Moses: "Enter to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart, and that of his servants, so that I may accomplish these, my signs, in him,
2 and so that you may describe to the ears of your sons and your grandsons how often I opposed the Egyptians and wrought my signs among them, and so that you may know that I am the Lord."
3 Therefore, Moses and Aaron entered to Pharaoh, and they said to him: "Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: How long will you be unwilling to be subject to me? Release my people to sacrifice to me.
4 But if you resist, and you are unwilling to release them, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your borders.
5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, lest any part of it be seen. Yes, and what remains from the hail shall be eaten. For they will gnaw away all the trees that spring up in the fields.
6 And they will fill your houses, and those of your servants and of all the Egyptians: so many as your fathers and ancestors have not seen, from the time that they rose up over the earth, even until this present day." And he turned himself away, and he departed from Pharaoh.
7 Then the servants of Pharaoh said to him: "How long must we endure this scandal? Release the men, in order to sacrifice to the Lord their God. Do you not see that Egypt is perishing?"
8 And they called back Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, who said to them: "Go, sacrifice to the Lord your God. Who are they who would go?"
9 Moses said: "We will travel with our little ones and our elderly, with our sons and daughters, with our sheep and herds. For it is a solemnity of the Lord our God."
10 And Pharaoh responded: "So let the Lord be with you. But if I were to release you and your little ones, who would doubt that you intend some great wickedness?
11 It will not be so. However, go only with the men, and sacrifice to the Lord. For this, too, is what you yourselves requested." And immediately they were cast out from the sight of Pharaoh.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses: "Extend your hand over the land of Egypt, toward the locusts, so that they may rise up over it, and devour every plant which remains from the hail."
13 And Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt. And the Lord brought a burning wind all that day and night. And when morning came, the burning wind lifted up the locusts.
14 And they ascended over the entire land of Egypt. And they settled into all the parts of the Egyptians: innumerable, such as had not been before that time, nor ever would be thereafter.
15 And they covered the entire face of the land, laying waste to all things. And the plants of the land were devoured, along with whatever fruits were on the trees, which the hail had left behind. And nothing at all of the greenery remained on the trees or on the plants of the earth in all of Egypt.
16 For this reason, Pharaoh hurriedly called Moses and Aaron, and he said to them: "I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.
17 But now, release me from my sin even this time, and petition the Lord your God, so that he may take this death away from me."
18 And Moses, departing from the sight of Pharaoh, prayed to the Lord.
19 And he caused a very strong wind to blow from the west, and, seizing the locusts, it cast them into the Red Sea. There remained not so much as one in all the parts of Egypt.
20 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; neither did he release the sons of Israel.
21 Then the Lord said to Moses: "Extend your hand into the sky. And let there be a darkness over the land of Egypt, so dense that they may be able to feel it."
22 And Moses extended his hand into the sky. And there came a horrible darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days.
23 No one saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was. But wherever the sons of Israel were living, there was light.
24 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and he said to them: "Go, sacrifice to the Lord. Only let your sheep and herds remain behind. Your little ones may go with you."
25 Moses said: "You must also permit us victims and holocausts, which we may offer to the Lord our God.
26 All the flocks shall travel with us. Not one hoof of them shall remain behind. For they are necessary for the worship of the Lord our God, especially since we do not know what ought to be immolated, until we arrive at the very place."
27 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he was not willing to release them.
28 And Pharaoh said to Moses: "Withdraw from me, and beware that you no longer see my face. On whatever day you will appear in my sight, you shall die."
29 Moses responded: "So be it, just as you have said. I will no longer see your face."
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