Exodus 10

VIN^{(i) 1} Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I've hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials in order to perform these signs of mine among them, ² so you may tell your children and your grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians and about my miraculous signs that I performed among them, so all of you may know that I am the LORD. ³ Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. ⁴ "'If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ To cover the face of the earth, that nothing thereof may appear, but that which the hail hath left may be eaten: for they shall feed upon all the trees that spring in the fields. ⁶ Your houses will be filled along with the houses of all your officials and the houses of all the Egyptians something that neither your fathers nor your ancestors ever saw from the time they were on earth until now.'" Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh's presence. ⁷ Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?" ⁸ When Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, he said to them: Go! Serve the LORD your Elohim! Who and who are those going? ⁹ And Moses said, We must go with young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for it is the festival of the Lord. ¹⁰ He said to them, “the LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces. ¹¹ No indeed; just the men go and serve the LORD, since this is what you are seeking." And he drove them out from the presence of Pharaoh. ¹² And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand upon the land of Egypt unto the locust, that it come upon it, and devour every herb that is left after the hail. ¹³ And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴ They invaded all of Egypt and landed all over the country in great swarms. Never before had there been so many locusts, nor would there ever be that many again. ¹⁵ They covered all the ground until it was black with them. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt. ¹⁶ Pharaoh quickly called Moses and Aaron and said, "I've sinned against the LORD your God and against you. ¹⁷ "Please forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me." ¹⁸ Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. ¹⁹ the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt. ²⁰ But the LORD made Pharaoh's heart stubborn and he would not let the Israelites go. ²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and let there be darkness over the land of Egypt darkness that may be felt. ²² Moses raised his hand toward the sky. Total darkness fell throughout Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else, nor could anyone get up from his place for three days. But there was light for all the Israelites in their dwellings. ²⁴ The king called Moses. He said: "You may go and worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you. But your sheep, goats, and cattle must stay here." ²⁵ Moses said, "You must let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the LORD our God. ²⁶ And even our livestock must go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind because we will use some of them to serve the LORD our God, and until we get there we won't know what we need to serve the LORD." ²⁷ And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to release them. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me. Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die." ²⁹ And Moses said, You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.