Exodus 10–12

The Plague of Locusts

10Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made his heart stubborn. I have also made the hearts of his officials stubborn so I can do my miraculous signs among them. ²Then you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren how hard I was on the Egyptians. You can tell them I did great miracles among the people of Egypt. And all of you will know that I am the Lord.”

³So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to obey me? Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

⁴“ ‘If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. ⁵They will cover the ground so that it can’t be seen. They will eat what little you have left after the hail. That includes every tree that is growing in your fields. ⁶They will fill your houses. They will be in the homes of all of your officials and your people. Your parents and your people before them have never seen anything like it as long as they have lived here.’ ” Then Moses turned around and left Pharaoh.

⁷Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a trap for us? Let the people go. Then they’ll be able to worship the Lord their God. After everything that’s happened, don’t you realize that Egypt is destroyed?”

⁸Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go. Worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But just who will be going?”

⁹Moses answered, “We’ll go with our young people and old people. We’ll go with our sons and daughters. We’ll take our flocks and herds. We are supposed to hold a feast in the Lord’s honor.”

¹⁰Pharaoh said, “The Lord will really be with all of you if I ever let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are planning to do something bad. ¹¹No! I’ll only allow the men to go. Then all of you can worship the Lord. After all, that’s what you have been asking for.”

Then Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight.

¹²The Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand over Egypt. Locusts will cover the land. They will eat up everything that is growing in the fields. They will eat up everything that was left by the hail.”

¹³So Moses reached his wooden staff out over Egypt. Then the Lord made an east wind blow across the land. It blew all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts. ¹⁴They came into every part of Egypt. They settled down in every area of the country in large numbers. There had never been a plague of locusts like it before. And there will never be one like it again.

¹⁵The locusts covered the ground until it was black. They ate up everything that was left after the hail. They ate up everything that was growing in the fields. They ate up the fruit on the trees. There was nothing green left on any tree or plant in the whole land of Egypt.

¹⁶Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God. I’ve also sinned against you. ¹⁷Now forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

¹⁸After Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the Lord. ¹⁹The Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. The wind picked up the locusts. It blew them into the Red Sea. Not even one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.

²⁰But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. And Pharaoh wouldn’t let the people of Israel go.

The Plague of Darkness

²¹The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Reach out your hand toward the sky. Darkness will spread over Egypt. It will be so dark that people can feel it.”

²²So Moses reached out his hand toward the sky. Then complete darkness covered Egypt for three days. ²³No one could see anyone else or go anywhere for three days. But all of the people of Israel had light where they lived.

²⁴Then Pharaoh sent for Moses. He said to him, “Go. Worship the Lord. Even your women and children can go with you. Just leave your flocks and herds behind.”

²⁵But Moses said, “You must allow us to take animals to offer as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God. ²⁶Our livestock must also go with us. We have to use some of them to worship the Lord our God. We can’t leave even one animal behind. Until we get there, we won’t know what we are supposed to use to worship the Lord.”

²⁷But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. So he wouldn’t let the people go.

²⁸Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you don’t come to see me again! If you do, you will die.”

²⁹“I’ll do just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never come to see you again.”

The Lord Announces the Tenth Plague

11The Lord had spoken to Moses. He had said, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you and your people go. When he does, he will drive you completely away. ²Tell the men and women alike to ask their neighbors for articles made out of silver and gold.”

³The Lord caused the Egyptians to treat the Israelites in a kind way. Pharaoh’s officials and the people had great respect for Moses.

⁴Moses said, “The Lord says, ‘About midnight I will go through every part of Egypt. ⁵Every oldest son in Egypt will die. The oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, will die. The oldest son of the female slave, who works at her hand mill, will die. All of the male animals that were born first to their mothers among the cattle will also die. ⁶There will be loud crying all over Egypt. It will be worse than it’s ever been before. And nothing like it will ever be heard again.

⁷“ ‘But among the people of Israel not even one dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord treats Egypt differently from us.

⁸“All of your officials will come and bow down to me. They will say, ‘Go, you and all of the people who follow you!’ After that, I will leave.”

Moses burned with anger when he left Pharaoh.

⁹The Lord had spoken to Moses. He had said, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will multiply my miracles in Egypt.”

¹⁰Moses and Aaron did all of those miracles in the sight of Pharaoh. But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. He wouldn’t let the people of Israel go out of his country.

The First Passover Sacrifice

12The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. ²He said, “From now on, this month will be your first month. Each of your years will begin with it.

³“Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month each man must get a lamb from his flock. A lamb should be chosen for each family and home.

⁴“Suppose there are not enough people in your family to eat a whole lamb. Then you must share some of it with your nearest neighbor. You must add up the total number of people there are. You must decide how much lamb is needed for each person.

⁵“The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats. ⁶Take care of them until the 14th day of the month. Then the whole community of Israel must kill them when the sun goes down. ⁷Take some of the blood. Put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where you eat the lambs.

⁸“That same night eat the meat cooked over the fire. Also eat bitter plants. And eat bread that is made without yeast. ⁹Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water. Instead, cook it over the fire. Cook the head, legs and inside parts. ¹⁰Do not leave any of it until morning. If some is left over until morning, burn it.

¹¹“Eat the meat while your coat is tucked into your belt. Put your sandals on your feet. Take your walking stick in your hand. Eat the food quickly. It is the Lord’s Passover.

¹²“That same night I will pass through Egypt. I will strike down every oldest son. I will also kill all of the male animals that were born first to their mothers. And I will judge all of the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

¹³“The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

¹⁴“Always remember this day. For all time to come, you and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast in honor of the Lord. It is a law that will last forever.

¹⁵“Eat bread made without yeast for seven days. On the first day remove the yeast from your homes. For the next seven days, anyone who eats anything that has yeast in it must be cut off from Israel.

¹⁶“On the first and seventh days, come together for a special service. Do not work at all on those days. All you are allowed to do is prepare food for everyone to eat.

¹⁷“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I brought you out of Egypt on this very day like an army on the march. It is a law that will last for all time to come. ¹⁸In the first month eat bread that is made without yeast. Eat it from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day.

¹⁹“For seven days do not let any yeast be found in your homes. Anyone who eats anything that has yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. That applies to outsiders and Israelites alike. ²⁰Do not eat anything that is made with yeast. No matter where you live, eat bread that is made without yeast.”

²¹Then Moses sent for all of the elders of Israel. He said to them, “Go at once. Choose the animals for your families. Each family must kill a Passover lamb. ²²Get a branch of a hyssop plant. Dip it into the blood in the bowl. Put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you can go out the door of your house until morning.

²³“The Lord will go through the land to strike the Egyptians down. He’ll see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. He will pass over that house. He won’t let the destroying angel enter your homes to kill you.

²⁴“Obey all of these directions. It’s a law for you and your children after you for all time to come. ²⁵The Lord will give you the land, just as he promised. When you enter it, keep this holy day.

²⁶“Your children will ask you, ‘What does this holy day mean to you?’ ²⁷Tell them, ‘It’s the Passover…