Exodus 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,
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
4 But if you resist, and you are unwilling to release them, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your borders.
But if you refuse to let my people go, listen, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your land.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?”
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?”
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?”
Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, who said to them, “Go worship Yahweh your God. But what people will 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.”
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.”
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh 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.”
Now then, forgive my sin this time, and pray to Yahweh your God that he will take this death away from me.”
18 And Moses, departing from the sight of Pharaoh, prayed to the Lord.
So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh.
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.
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.
20 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; neither did he release the sons of Israel.
But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go.
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.”
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.”
22 And Moses extended his hand into the sky. And there came a horrible darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days.
Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the 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.
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.
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.”
Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go worship Yahweh. Even your families may go with you, but your flocks and herds must remain behind.”
25 Moses said: “You must also permit us victims and holocausts, which we may offer to the Lord our God.
But Moses said, “You must also give us animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings so that we may sacrifice them to Yahweh 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.”
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.”
27 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he was not willing to release them.
But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
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.”
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.”
29 Moses responded: “So be it, just as you have said. I will no longer see your face.”
Moses said, “You yourself have spoken. I will not see your face again.”
