1 T he Lord said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart hard, and his servants’ hearts, that I might show these My signs before him,

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have made his heart and the heart of his servants hard, so that I may do My powerful works among them.

2 A nd that you may recount in the ears of your son and of your grandson what I have done in derision of the Egyptians and what things I have done there—My signs done among them—that you may recognize and know that I am the Lord.

You may tell your son and your grandson how I made it very hard for the Egyptians and how I did My powerful works among them. So you may know that I am the Lord.”

3 S o Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says this: ‘How long will you hold your pride before Me? Let My people go, so they may worship Me.

4 F or if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.

If you will not let My people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.

5 A nd they shall cover the land so that one cannot see the ground; and they shall eat the remainder of what escaped and is left to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field;

They will cover the land, so no one will be able to see the ground. They will eat what is left for you after the hail. They will eat every tree of yours that grows in the field.

6 T he locusts shall fill your houses and those of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen from their birth until this day. Then Moses departed from Pharaoh.

They will fill your houses, and the houses of your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians. Your fathers and your grandfathers have never seen such a thing from the day they were born until this day.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

7 A nd Pharaoh’s servants said to him, How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God; do you not yet understand and know that Egypt is destroyed?

Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man bring trouble to us? Let the men go, so they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is destroyed?”

8 S o Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh; and he said to them, Go, serve the Lord your God; but just who are to go?

So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. He said to them, “Go and worship the Lord your God. But who will be going?”

9 A nd Moses said, We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.

Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, our sons and our daughters, and our flocks and cattle. For we must make a special supper to the Lord.”

10 P haraoh said to them, Let the Lord be with you, if I ever let you go with your little ones! See, you have some evil purpose in mind.

Then Pharaoh said to them, “Let the Lord be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones! See, you have something bad in mind.

11 N ot so! You that are men, go and serve the Lord, for that is what you want. And were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.

No! You men go and worship the Lord. For that is what you want.” And Moses and Aaron were sent away from Pharaoh.

12 T hen the Lord 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 all the vegetation of the land, all that the hail has left.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts to come upon the land of Egypt. They will eat every plant of the land, all that the hail has left.”

13 A nd Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

So Moses put out his special stick over the land of Egypt. And the Lord sent an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

14 A nd the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled down on the whole country of Egypt, a very dreadful mass of them; never before were there such locusts as these, nor will there ever be again.

The locusts came over all the land of Egypt and they stayed on the whole country of Egypt. There were very many. There had never been so many locusts. And there would never be so many again.

15 F or they covered the whole land, so that the ground was darkened, and they ate every bit of vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left; there remained not a green thing of the trees or the plants of the field in all the land of Egypt.

For they covered the whole land and made it dark. They ate every plant of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.

16 T hen Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron in haste. He said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and you.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in a hurry. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

17 N ow therefore forgive my sin, I pray you, only this once, and entreat the Lord your God only that He may remove from me this death.

So now forgive my sin only this once. Pray to the Lord your God to take this death away from me.”

18 T hen Moses left Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.

So Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.

19 A nd the Lord turned a violent west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the country of Egypt.

And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It lifted the locusts and sent them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left in all the country of Egypt.

20 B ut the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart more strong and obstinate, and he would not let the Israelites go.

But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart hard. He did not let the people of Israel go. Darkness Covers the Land

21 A nd the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness which may be felt.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand toward the sky. And there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness people will feel.”

22 S o Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and for three days a thick darkness was all over the land of Egypt.

So Moses put out his hand toward the sky. And there was darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

23 T he Egyptians could not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the Israelites had natural light in their dwellings.

The Egyptians did not see each other. No one got up from his place for three days. But all the people of Israel had light in their homes.

24 A nd Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, Go, serve the Lord; let your little ones also go with you; it is only your flocks and your herds that must not go.

Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go and worship the Lord. Your children may go with you also. Only let your flocks and your cattle stay.”

25 B ut Moses said, You must give into our hand also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

But Moses said, “You must let us have gifts to give in worship and gifts for burning, so we may give them to the Lord our God.

26 O ur livestock also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for of them must we take to serve the Lord our God, and we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.

So our animals will go with us also. Not a foot of an animal will be left behind. For we will take some of them to use as we worship the Lord our God. And until we are there, we do not know which ones we will use in worshiping the Lord.”

27 B ut the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stronger and more stubborn, and he would not let them go.

But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart hard. He was not willing to let them go.

28 A nd Pharaoh said to Moses, Get away from me! See that you never enter my presence again, for the day you see my face again you shall die!

Pharaoh said to Moses, “Go away from me! Make sure that you do not see my face again! For the day you see my face again, you will die!”

29 A nd Moses said, You have spoken truly; I will never see your face again.

Moses said, “You are right. I will never see your face again.”