< Exodus 9 >

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me.”
Then the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2 But if you refuse to let them go, if you still keep them back,
For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
3 then Yahweh's hand will be on your cattle in the fields and on the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks, and it will cause a terrible disease.
behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain.
4 Yahweh will treat Israel's cattle and Egypt's cattle differently and no animal that belongs to the Israelites will die.
And the LORD shall make a division between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongeth to the children of Israel.'
5 Yahweh has fixed a time; he has said, “It is tomorrow that I will do this thing in the land.”'”
And the LORD appointed a set time, saying: 'Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.'
6 Yahweh did this the next day: All the cattle of Egypt died, but none of the Israelites' animals died, not one animal.
And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.
7 Pharaoh investigated, and, behold, not even one animal of the Israelites died. But his heart was stubborn, so he did not let the people go.
And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.
8 Then Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take some handfuls of ashes from a kiln. You, Moses, must throw the ashes up into the air while Pharaoh is watching.
And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh.
9 They will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt. They will cause blisters and sores to break out on people and animals throughout all the land of Egypt.”
And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.'
10 So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a kiln and stood in front of Pharaoh. Then Moses threw the ashes up into the air. The ashes caused blisters and sores to break out on people and animals.
And they took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast.
11 The magicians could not resist Moses because of the blisters, because the blisters were on them and on all the other Egyptians.
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
12 Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, so Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and Aaron. This was just as Yahweh had said to Moses that Pharaoh would do.
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
13 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand in front of Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: “Let my people go so that they may worship me.
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith 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, on your servants and your people. I will do this so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
15 By now I could have reached out with my hand and attacked you and your people with disease, and you would have been eradicated from the land.
Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth.
16 But it was for this reason I allowed you to survive: In order to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.
But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.
17 You are still lifting yourself up against my people by not letting them go.
As yet exaltest thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go?
18 Listen! Tomorrow about this time I will bring a very strong hail storm, such as has not been seen in Egypt since the day it was begun until now.
Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.
19 Now then, send men and gather your cattle and everything you have in the fields to a safe place. Every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home—the hail will come down on them, and they will die.”'”
Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.'
20 Then those of Pharaoh's servants who believed in Yahweh's message hurried to bring their slaves and cattle into the houses.
He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses;
21 But those who did not take Yahweh's message seriously left their slaves and cattle in the fields.
and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.
22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky so that there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people, on animals, and on all the plants in the fields throughout the land of Egypt.”
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.'
23 Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh sent thunder, hail, and lightning to the ground. He also rained hail on the land of Egypt.
And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of Egypt.
24 So there were hail and lightning mixed with hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 Throughout all the land of Egypt, the hail struck everything in the fields, both people and animals. It struck every plant in the fields and broke every tree.
And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh sent men to summon Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: 'I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
28 Pray to Yahweh, because the mighty thunderbolts and hail are too much. I will let you go, and you will stay here no longer.”
Entreat the LORD, and let there be enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.'
29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I leave the city, I will spread my hands out to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and there will not be any more hail. In this way you will know that the earth belongs to Yahweh.
And Moses said unto him: 'As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the LORD'S.
30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet really honor Yahweh God.”
But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.' —
31 Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was maturing in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not harmed because they were later crops.
But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten; for they ripen late. —
33 When Moses had left Pharaoh and the city, he spread out his hands to Yahweh; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain came down no more.
And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, together with his servants.
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so he did not let the people of Israel go. This was the way that Yahweh had said to Moses that Pharaoh would act.
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

< Exodus 9 >