CHAPTER 10

The Plague of Locusts

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants with firmness, that I may set these signs of Mine among them,
2 and that you may recount in the hearing of your son and of your grandson, how I dealt severely with the Egyptians, and how I 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 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, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they 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! 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, if ever I let you and your little ones go! See, for evil is on your faces.
11 “Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve Yahweh, for 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 when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14 And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt; they were very heavy. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many 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 changed the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
20 But Yahweh 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 their places of habitation.
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 let us have in our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to 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 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! 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!”