January 20
Exodus 8:1 —
10:29
8
Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Go in to Pharaoh, and you must say to him, ‘This
is what Jehovah has said: “Send my people away that they may serve me.
2 And
if you keep refusing to send them away, here I am plaguing all your territory
with frogs.
3 And
the Nile River will fairly teem with frogs, and they will certainly come up and
enter into your house and your inner bedroom and upon your couch and into the
houses of your servants and on your people and into your ovens and into your
kneading troughs.
4 And
on you and on your people and on all your servants the frogs will come up.”’”
5 Later
on Jehovah said to Moses: “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch your hand with your rod out
over the rivers, the Nile canals and the reedy pools and make the frogs come up
over the land of Egypt.’”
6 At
that Aaron stretched his hand out over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs began
to come up and to cover the land of Egypt.
7 However,
the magic-practicing priests did the same thing by their secret arts and made
the frogs come up over the land of Egypt.
8 In
time Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: “Entreat Jehovah that he may
remove the frogs from me and my people, as I want to send the people away that
they may sacrifice to Jehovah.”
9 Then
Moses said to Pharaoh: “You take the glory over me to say when I shall make
entreaty for you and your servants and your people in order to cut the frogs off
from you and your houses. Only in the Nile River will they be left.”
10 To
this he said: “Tomorrow.” So he said: “It will be according to your word, in
order that you may know that there is no one else like Jehovah our God,
11 in
that the frogs will certainly turn away from you and your houses and your
servants and your people. Only in the Nile River will they be left.”
12 Accordingly
Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to Jehovah because
of the frogs that He had put upon Pharaoh.
13 Then
Jehovah did according to Moses’ word, and the frogs began to die off from the
houses, the courtyards and the fields.
14 And
they went piling them up, heaps upon heaps, and the land began to stink.
15 When
Pharaoh got to see that relief had taken place, he made his heart unresponsive;
and he did not listen to them, just as Jehovah had spoken.
16 Jehovah
now said to Moses: “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch your rod out and strike the dust of
the earth, and it must become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’”
17 And
they proceeded to do this. So Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and
struck the dust of the earth, and the gnats came to be on man and beast. All the
dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
18 And
the magic-practicing priests tried to do the same by their secret arts, in order
to bring forth gnats, but they were unable. And the gnats came to be on man and
beast.
19 Hence
the magic-practicing priests said to Pharaoh: “It is the finger of God!” But
Pharaoh’s heart continued to be obstinate, and he did not listen to them, just
as Jehovah had spoken.
20 Then
Jehovah said to Moses: “Get up early in the morning and take a position in front
of Pharaoh. Look! He is coming out to the water! And you must say to him, ‘This
is what Jehovah has said: “Send my people away that they may serve me.
21 But
if you are not sending my people away, here I am sending upon you and your
servants and your people and into your houses the gadfly; and the houses of
Egypt will simply be full of the gadfly, and also the ground upon which they
are.
22 And
on that day I shall certainly make the land of Goshen upon which my people are
standing distinct, that no gadfly may exist there; in order that you may know
that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth.
23 And
I shall indeed set a demarcation between my people and your people. Tomorrow
this sign will take place.”’”
24 And
Jehovah proceeded to do so; and heavy swarms of gadflies began to invade the
house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and all the land of Egypt. The
land came to ruin as a result of the gadflies.
25 Finally
Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: “Go, sacrifice to YOUR God in the
land.”
26 But
Moses said: “It is not admissible to do so, because we would sacrifice to
Jehovah our God a thing detestable to the Egyptians. Suppose we would sacrifice
a thing detestable to the Egyptians before their eyes; would they not stone us?
27 We
shall go a journey of three days into the wilderness and we shall definitely
sacrifice to Jehovah our God just as he has said to us.”
28 Pharaoh
now said: “I—I shall send YOU away, and YOU will indeed sacrifice to Jehovah
YOUR God in the wilderness. Only do not make it quite so far away that YOU are
going. Make entreaty in my behalf.”
29 Then
Moses said: “Here I am going forth from you, and I shall indeed make entreaty to
Jehovah, and the gadflies will certainly turn away from Pharaoh, his servants
and his people tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh trifle again in not sending the
people away to sacrifice to Jehovah.”
30 After
that Moses went out from Pharaoh and made entreaty to Jehovah.
31 So
Jehovah did according to Moses’ word, and the gadflies turned away from Pharaoh,
his servants and his people. Not one was left.
32 However,
Pharaoh made his heart unresponsive this time also and did not send the people
away.
9
Consequently Jehovah said to Moses: “Go in to Pharaoh and you must state to
him, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has said: “Send my people away
that they may serve me.
2 But
if you continue refusing to send them away and you are still keeping hold of
them,
3 look!
Jehovah’s hand is coming upon your livestock that is in the field. On the
horses, the asses, the camels, the herd and the flock there will be a very heavy
pestilence.
4 And
Jehovah will certainly make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and
the livestock of Egypt, and not a thing of all that belongs to the sons of
Israel will die.”’”
5 Moreover,
Jehovah set an appointed time, saying: “Tomorrow Jehovah will do this thing in
the land.”
6 Accordingly
Jehovah did this thing on the next day, and all sorts of livestock of Egypt
began to die; but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died.
7 Then
Pharaoh sent, and, look! not so much as one of Israel’s livestock had died.
Nevertheless, Pharaoh’s heart continued to be unresponsive, and he did not send
the people away.
8 After
that Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: “Take for yourselves both hands full of
soot from a kiln, and Moses must toss it toward the heavens in Pharaoh’s sight.
9 And
it must become a powder upon all the land of Egypt, and it must become boils
breaking out with blisters upon man and beast in all the land of Egypt.”
10 So
they took the soot of a kiln and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses tossed it
toward the heavens, and it became boils with blisters, breaking out on man and
beast.
11 And
the magic-practicing priests were unable to stand before Moses as a result of
the boils, because the boils had developed on the magic-practicing priests and
on all the Egyptians.
12 But
Jehovah let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, and he did not listen to them,
just as Jehovah had stated to Moses.
13 Then
Jehovah said to Moses: “Get up early in the morning and take a position in front
of Pharaoh, and you must say to him, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of the
Hebrews has said: “Send my people away that they may serve me.
14 For
at this time I am sending all my blows against your heart and upon your servants
and your people, to the end that you may know that there is none like me in all
the earth.
15 For
by now I could have thrust my hand out that I might strike you and your people
with pestilence and that you might be effaced from the earth.
16 But,
in fact, for this cause I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing
you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth.
17 Are
you still behaving haughtily against my people in not sending them away?
18 Here
I am causing it to rain down tomorrow about this time a very heavy hail, the
like of which has never occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
19 And
now send, bring all your livestock and all that is yours in the field under
shelter. As for any man and beast that will be found in the field and not
gathered into the house, the hail will have to come down upon them, and they
will have to die.”’”
20 Anyone
who feared Jehovah’s word among Pharaoh’s servants caused his own servants and
his livestock to flee into the houses,
21 but
whoever did not set his heart to have any regard for Jehovah’s word left his
servants and his livestock in the field.
22 Jehovah
now said to Moses: “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that hail may come
on all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and all vegetation of the field in
the land of Egypt.”
23 So
Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens; and Jehovah gave thunders and
hail, and fire would run down to the earth, and Jehovah kept making it rain down
hail upon the land of Egypt.
24 Thus
there came hail, and fire quivering in among the hail. It was very heavy, so
that there had not occurred any like it in all the land of Egypt from the time
it became a nation.
25 And
the hail went striking at all the land of Egypt. The hail struck everything that
was in the field, from man to beast, and all sorts of vegetation of the field;
and it shattered all sorts of trees of the field.
26 Only
in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there occurred no hail.
27 Eventually
Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them: “I have sinned this
time. Jehovah is righteous, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28 Entreat
Jehovah that this may be enough of the occurring of God’s thunders and hail.
Then I am willing to send YOU away, and YOU will not stay any longer.”
29 So
Moses said to him: “As soon as I go out of the city I shall spread my hands up
to Jehovah. The thunders will stop and the hail will not continue any longer, in
order that you may know that the earth belongs to Jehovah.
30 As
for you and your servants, I know already that YOU will not even then show fear
because of Jehovah God.”
31 As
it was, the flax and the barley had been struck, because the barley was in the
ear and the flax had flower buds.
32 But
the wheat and the spelt had not been struck, because they were seasonally late.
33 Moses
now went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread his hands up to Jehovah, and
the thunders and the hail began to stop and rain did not pour down on the earth.
34 When
Pharaoh got to see that the rain and the hail and the thunders had stopped, he
went sinning again and making his heart unresponsive, he as well as his
servants.
35 And
Pharaoh’s heart continued obstinate, and he did not send the sons of Israel
away, just as Jehovah had stated by means of Moses.
10
Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Go in to Pharaoh, because I—I have let his heart
and the hearts of his servants become unresponsive, in order that I may set
these signs of mine right before him,
2 and
in order that you may declare in the ears of your son and your son’s son how
severely I have dealt with Egypt and my signs that I have established among
them; and YOU will certainly know that I am Jehovah.”
3 So
Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him: “This is what Jehovah the
God of the Hebrews has said, ‘How long must you refuse to submit yourself to me?
Send my people away that they may serve me.
4 For
if you continue refusing to send my people away, here I am bringing locusts
within your boundaries tomorrow.
5 And
they will actually cover the visible surface of the earth and it will not be
possible to see the earth; and they will simply eat up the rest of what has
escaped, what has been left to YOU people by the hail, and they will certainly
eat every sprouting tree of YOURS out of the field.
6 And
your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt will
be filled to an extent that your fathers and your fathers’ fathers have not seen
it from the day of their existing upon the ground until this day.’” With that he
turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 After
that Pharaoh’s servants said to him: “How long will this man prove to be as a
snare to us? Send the men away that they may serve Jehovah their God. Do you not
yet know that Egypt has perished?”
8 So
Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them: “Go, serve
Jehovah YOUR God. Who in particular are the ones going?”
9 Then
Moses said: “With our young people and our old people we shall go. With our sons
and our daughters, with our sheep and our cattle we shall go, for we have a
festival to Jehovah.”
10 In
turn he said to them: “Let it prove to be so, that Jehovah is with YOU when I
shall send YOU and YOUR little ones away! See, on the contrary, something evil
is YOUR aim.
11 Not
so! Go, please, YOU who are able-bodied men, and serve Jehovah, because that is
what YOU are seeking to secure.” With that they were driven out from before Pharaoh.
12 Jehovah
now said to Moses: “Stretch your hand out over the land of Egypt for the
locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat up all the
vegetation of the land, everything that the hail has let remain.”
13 At
once Moses stretched his rod out over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah caused an
east wind to blow upon the land all that day and all night. The morning came and
the east wind carried the locusts.
14 And
the locusts began to come up over all the land of Egypt and to settle down upon
all the territory of Egypt. They were very burdensome. Before them there had
never turned up in this way locusts like them, and there will never turn up any
in this way after them.
15 And
they went covering the visible surface of the entire land, and the land grew
dark; and they went on eating up all the vegetation of the land and all the
fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and there was left nothing green on
the trees or on the vegetation of the field in all the land of Egypt.
16 So
Pharaoh hurriedly called Moses and Aaron and said: “I have sinned against
Jehovah YOUR God and against YOU.
17 And
now pardon, please, my sin just this once and ENTREAT Jehovah YOUR God that he
may turn away just this deadly plague from upon me.”
18 So
he went out from Pharaoh and made entreaty to Jehovah.
19 Then
Jehovah made a shift to a very stiff west wind, and it carried the locusts away
and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was let remain in all the
territory of Egypt.
20 However,
Jehovah let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, and he did not send the sons of
Israel away.
21 Jehovah
then said to Moses: “Stretch your hand out toward the heavens, that darkness may
occur over the land of Egypt and the darkness may be felt.”
22 Moses
immediately stretched his hand out toward the heavens, and a gloomy darkness
began to occur in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23 They
did not see one another, and none of them got up from his own place three days;
but for all the sons of Israel there proved to be light in their dwellings.
24 After
that Pharaoh called Moses and said: “Go, SERVE Jehovah. Only YOUR sheep and
YOUR cattle will be detained. YOUR little ones also may go with YOU.”
25 But
Moses said: “You yourself will also give into our hands sacrifices and burnt
offerings, as we must render them to Jehovah our God.
26 And
our livestock will also go with us. Not a hoof will be allowed to remain,
because it is from them that we shall take some to worship Jehovah our God, and
we ourselves do not know what we shall render in worship to Jehovah until our
arriving there.”
27 At
this Jehovah let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, and he did not consent to
send them away.
28 So
Pharaoh said to him: “Get out from me! Watch yourself! Do not try to see my
face again, because on the day of your seeing my face you will die.”
29 To
this Moses said: “That is the way you have spoken. I shall not try to see your
face anymore.”