Chapter 9

Egyptian Cattle Die

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “aLet My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 “For aif you refuse to let them go and 1continue to hold them,

3 behold, athe hand of the Lord 1will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.

4 “aBut the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that bnothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.” ’ ”

5 The Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”

6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and aall the livestock of Egypt died; bbut of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died.

7 Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But athe heart of Pharaoh was 1hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 “It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become aboils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.”

10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast.

11 aThe 1magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians 2as well as on all the Egyptians.

12 And athe Lord 1hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “aRise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “bLet My people go, that they may serve Me.

14 “For this time I will send all My plagues 1on you and your servants and your people, so that ayou may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

15 “For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth.

16 “But, indeed, afor this reason I have allowed you to 1remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.

17 “Still you exalt yourself against My people 1by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

18 “Behold, about this time tomorrow, aI will 1send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded 2until now.

19 “Now therefore send, bring ayour livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. bEvery man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.” ’ ”

20 aThe one among the servants of Pharaoh who 1feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses;

21 but he who 1paid no regard to the word of the Lord 2left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that 1ahail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”

23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord 1sent 2thunder and ahail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24 So there was hail, and fire 1flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25 aThe hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field.

26 aOnly in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh 1asent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “bI have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.

28 “aMake supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s 1thunder and hail; and bI will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will aspread out my 1hands to the Lord; the 2thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that bthe earth is the Lord’s.

30 “aBut as for you and your servants, I know that byou do not yet 1fear 2the Lord God.”

31 (Now the flax and the abarley were 1ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.

32 But the wheat and the spelt were not 1ruined, for they ripen late.)

33 aSo Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his 1hands to the Lord; and the 2thunder and the hail ceased, and rain 3no longer poured on the earth.

34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the 1thunder had ceased, he sinned again and 2hardened his heart, he and his servants.

35 Pharaoh’s heart was 1hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the aLord had spoken through Moses.