The Eighth Blow: Locusts
1The
2and in order that in the hearing of your son and your grandson you may tell how I made fools of the Egyptians and about my signs that I displayed among them, so that you may know that I am the
3So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him, “Thus says the
4But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5They will cover the surface of the earth, so that you will be unable to see the ground. They will eat the remainder of what escaped – what is left over for you – from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the field.
6They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of Egypt, such as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they have been in the land until this day!’” Then Moses turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us? Release the people so that they may serve the
8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the
9Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle we will go, because we are to hold a pilgrim feast for the
10He said to them, “The
11No! Go, you men only, and serve the
12The
13So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the
14The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the territory of Egypt. It was very severe; there had been no locusts like them before, nor will there be such ever again.
15They covered the surface of all the ground, so that the ground became dark with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the ground and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or on anything that grew in the fields throughout the whole land of Egypt.
16Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the
17So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the
18Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the
19and the
20But the
The Ninth Blow: Darkness
21The
22So Moses extended his hand toward heaven, and there was absolute darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days.
23No one could see another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
24Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, serve the
25But Moses said, “Will you also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may present them to the
26Our livestock must also go with us! Not a hoof is to be left behind! For we must take these animals to serve the
27But the
28Pharaoh said to him, “Go from me! Watch out for yourself! Do not appear before me again, for when you see my face you will die!”
29Moses said, “As you wish! I will not see your face again.”