Dead Animals
1 The Lord sent Moses with this message for the king of Egypt:
The Lord God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. 2 If you keep refusing, 3 he will bring a terrible disease on your horses and donkeys, your camels and cattle, and your sheep and goats. 4 But the Lord will protect the animals that belong to the people of Israel, and none of theirs will die. 5 Tomorrow is the day the Lord has set to do this.
6 It happened the next day—all of the animals belonging to the Egyptians died, but the Israelites did not lose even one. 7 When the king found out, he was still too stubborn to let the people go.
Sores
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron:
Take a few handfuls of ashes from a stove and you, Moses, throw them into the air. Be sure the king is watching. 9 The ashes will blow across the land of Egypt, causing sores to break out on people and animals.
10 So they took a few handfuls of ashes and went to the king. Moses threw them into the air, and sores immediately broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. 11 The magicians were suffering so much from the sores, that they could not even come to Moses. 12 Everything happened just as the Lord had told Moses—he made the king too stubborn to listen to Moses and Aaron.
Hailstones
13 The Lord told Moses to get up early the next morning and say to the king:
The Lord God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him! 14 If you don't, he will send his worst plagues to strike you, your officials, and everyone else in your country. Then you will find out that no one can oppose the Lord. 15 In fact, he could already have sent a terrible disease and wiped you from the face of the earth. 16 But he has kept you alive, just to show you his power and to bring honor to himself everywhere in the world.
17 You are still determined not to let the Lord's people go. 18 All right. At this time tomorrow, he will bring on Egypt the worst hailstorm in its history. 19 You had better give orders for every person and every animal in Egypt to take shelter. If they don't, they will die.
20 Some of the king's officials were frightened by what the Lord had said, and they hurried off to make sure their slaves and animals were safe. 21 But others paid no attention to his threats and left their slaves and animals out in the open.
22 Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch your arm toward the sky, so that hailstones will fall on people, animals, and crops in the land of Egypt.” 23-24 Moses pointed his walking stick toward the sky, and hailstones started falling everywhere. Thunder roared, and lightning flashed back and forth, striking the ground. This was the worst storm in the history of Egypt. 25 People, animals, and crops were pounded by the hailstones, and bark was stripped from trees. 26 Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was safe from the storm.
27 The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, “Now I have really sinned! My people and I are guilty, and the Lord is right. 28 We can't stand any more of this thunder and hail. Please ask the Lord to make it stop. Your people can go—you don't have to stay in Egypt any longer.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer. When the thunder and hail stop, you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But I am certain that neither you nor your officials really fear the Lord God.”
31 Meanwhile, the flax and barley crops had been destroyed by the storm because they were ready to ripen. 32 But the wheat crops ripen later, and they were not damaged.
33 After Moses left the royal palace and the city, he lifted his arms in prayer to the Lord, and the thunder, hail, and drenching rain stopped. 34 When the king realized that the storm was over, he disobeyed once more. He and his officials were so stubborn 35 that he refused to let the Israelites go. This was exactly what the Lord had said would happen.
1 Then the Lord said vnto Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Ebrewes, Let my people go, that they may serue me. 2 But if thou refuse to let them goe, and wilt yet holde them still, 3 Beholde, the hande of the Lord is vpon thy flocke which is in the fielde: for vpon the horses, vpon the asses, vpon the camels, vpon the cattell, and vpon the sheepe shalbe a mightie great moraine. 4 And the Lord shall doe wonderfully betweene the beastes of Israel, and the beastes of Egypt: so that there shall nothing dye of all, that pertaineth to the children of Israel. 5 And the Lord appointed a time, saying, To morowe the Lord shall finish this thing in this lande. 6 So the Lord did this thing on the morow, and all the cattel of Egypt dyed: but of the cattell of the children of Israel dyed not one. 7 Then Pharaoh sent, and beholde, there was not one of the cattell of the Israelites dead: and the heart of Pharaoh was obstinate, and hee did not let the people goe. 8 And the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, Take your handfull of ashes of the fornace, and Moses shall sprinkle them towarde the heauen in the sight of Pharaoh, 9 And they shall be turned to dust in all the land of Egypt: and it shalbe as a scab breaking out into blisters vpon man, and vpon beast, thorow out all the land of Egypt. 10 Then they tooke ashes of the fornace, and stoode before Pharaoh: and Moses sprinkled them towarde the heauen, and there came a scab breaking out into blisters vpon man, and vpon beast. 11 And the sorcerers could not stande before Moses, because of the scab: for the scab was vpon the enchanters, and vpon all the Egyptians. 12 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not vnto them, as the Lord had said vnto Moses. 13 Also the Lord said vnto Moses, Rise vp early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Ebrewes, Let my people goe, that they may serue me. 14 For I will at this time send all my plagues vpon thine heart, and vpon thy seruants, and vpon thy people, that thou mayest knowe that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For nowe I will stretch out mine hande, that I may smite thee and thy people with the pestilence: and thou shalt perish from the earth. 16 And in deede, for this cause haue I appointed thee, to shewe my power in thee, and to declare my Name throughout all the world. 17 Yet thou exaltest thy selfe against my people, and lettest them not goe. 18 Beholde, to morowe this time I will cause to raine a mightie great haile, such as was not in Egypt since the foundation thereof was laid vnto this time. 19 Send therefore nowe, and gather the cattell, and all that thou hast in the fielde: for vpon all the men, and the beastes, which are found in the field, and not brought home, the haile shall fall vpon them, and they shall die. 20 Such then as feared the word of the Lord among the seruants of Pharaoh, made his seruants and his cattell flee into the houses: 21 But such as regarded not the worde of the Lord, left his seruants, and his cattell in the fielde. 22 And the Lord saide to Moses, Stretche foorth thine hande towarde heauen, that there may be haile in all the land of Egypt, vpon man, and vpon beast, and vpon all the herbes of the fielde in the lande of Egypt. 23 Then Moses stretched out his rod towarde heauen, and the Lord sent thunder and haile, and lightening vpon the ground: and the Lord caused haile to raine vpon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was haile, and fire mingled with the haile, so grieuous, as there was none throughout all the lande of Egypt, since it was a nation. 25 And the haile smote throughout al ye land of Egypt all that was in the fielde, both man and beast: also ye haile smote all the herbes of ye field, and brake to pieces all the trees of the fielde. 26 Onely in the lande of Goshen (where the children of Israel were) was no haile. 27 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said vnto them, I haue now sinned: the Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray ye vnto the Lord (for it is ynough) that there be no more mightie thunders and haile, and I will let you goe, and yee shall tarie no longer. 29 Then Moses saide vnto him, Assoone as I am out of the citie, I will spreade mine hands vnto the Lord, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more haile, that thou mayest knowe that the earth is the Lordes. 30 As for thee and thy seruants, I knowe afore I pray ye will feare before the face of the Lord God. 31 (And the flaxe, and the barley were smitten: for the barley was eared, and the flaxe was bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were hid in the grounde) 33 Then Moses went out of the citie from Pharaoh, and spred his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the haile ceased, neither rained it vpon the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh sawe that the raine and the haile and the thunder were ceased, hee sinned againe, and hardened his heart, both he, and his seruants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened: neither would he let the children of Israel goe, as the Lord had said by Moses.