1 The Plague of Locusts Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have 10:1Or glorified, cf. 14:4;lit made heavy hardened his heart and the heart of his servants with firmness, that I may 10:1Or perform set these signs of Mine 10:1Lit in his midst among them,
2 and that you may recount in the 10:2Lit ears hearing of your son and of your grandson, how I dealt severely with the Egyptians, and how I 10:2Or perform put My signs among them, that you may know that I am Yahweh.”
3 Then Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
4 For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.
5 And they shall cover the 10:5 Lit eye surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what remains for you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field.
6 Then your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians shall be filled,somethingwhich neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they 10:6Lit were came upon the earth until this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve Yahweh your God! 10:8Lit Who and who are Who are the ones that are going?”
9 And Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for it is a feast of Yahweh for us.”
10 Then he said to them, “Thus may Yahweh be with you, 10:10Lit when I if ever I let you and your little ones go! See, for evil is 10:10Lit before your face on your faces.
11 Not so! Go now, the menamong you, and serve Yahweh, for 10:11Lit you seek it that is what you are seeking.” So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, all that the hail has left remaining.”
13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night;and whenit was morning, the east wind 10:13Lit carried brought the locusts.
14 And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt;they werevery heavy. There had never been somany 10:14Lit locusts like them before them locusts, nor would there be somany 10:14Lit after them again.
15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you.
17 So now, please forgive my sin only this once and entreat Yahweh your God, that He would only cause this death to depart from me.”
18 And he went out from Pharaoh and entreated Yahweh.
19 So Yahweh changedthe windto a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the 10:19Lit Sea of Reeds Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
20 But Yahweh 10:20Lit strengthened hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.The Plague of Darkness
21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in theirplaces ofhabitation.
24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also 10:25Lit give into let us have in our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may 10:25Lit make sacrificethemto Yahweh our God.
26 Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall remain behind, for we shall take some of them to serve Yahweh our God. And until we come there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve Yahweh.”
27 But Yahweh 10:27Lit strengthened hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he was not willing to let them go.
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! 10:28Lit Take heed to yourself Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29 And Moses said, “As you have spoken; I shall never see your face again!”