Exodus

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him: '[1] (This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says): Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

"'If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,'"

"'the hand of the LORD will strike your livestock in the field with a terrible disease, your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and sheep.'"

"'But the LORD will make a clear distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Not a single animal belonging to the Israelites will die.'"

the LORD set a specific time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land."

The next day, the LORD did exactly what He said. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

Pharaoh sent investigators and found that not a single animal of the Israelites was dead. Yet even with this proof, Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he would not let the people go.

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses throw it into the air in front of Pharaoh."

"It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and it will cause painful boils to break out on people and animals throughout the country."

So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. When Moses threw it into the air, it caused festering boils to break out on people and animals.

The magicians could not even stand before Moses because of the [2] (boils), for the boils had broken out on the magicians as well as on all the other Egyptians.

But the LORD allowed Pharaoh’s heart to become stubborn, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had told Moses.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'"

"'For this time, I will send the full force of my plagues against you, your officials, and your people, so that you may know there is no one like me in all the earth.'"

"'By now I could have reached out my hand and struck you and your people with a deadly disease that would have wiped you off the earth.'"

"'But I have [3] (raised you up) for this very purpose: to show you my power and so that my name might be famous throughout the whole world.'"

"'Are you still setting yourself against my people and refusing to let them go?'"

"'Listen: tomorrow at this time, I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever hit Egypt since it was founded.'"

"'So give orders now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the fields into shelter. Every person and animal left outside and not brought under cover will die when the hail falls on them.'"

Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the [4] (word of the LORD) hurried to bring their servants and livestock indoors.

But those who ignored the [4] (word of the LORD) left their servants and livestock in the fields.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall over the whole land of Egypt, on people, animals, and everything growing in the fields."

When Moses reached out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent [5] (thunder) and [6] (hail), and [7] (lightning) flashed down to the ground. the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

It was a terrifying storm: hail and lightning mixed together. It was the worst storm in all of Egypt since it had become a nation.

Throughout Egypt, the hail struck everything left in the fields, both people and animals. It beat down all the plants and stripped every tree.

The only place where there was no hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he told them. "[8] (the LORD is righteous), and my people and I are in the [9] (wrong)."

"Pray to the LORD! We have had enough of this terrifying thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay here any longer."

Moses replied, "As soon as I leave the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the LORD."

"But I know that you and your officials still do not truly fear the LORD God."

(The flax and barley were destroyed, because the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom.)

(However, the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed because they ripen later.)

Then Moses left Pharaoh and the city, and spread out his hands toward the LORD. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rain ceased to pour down.

When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he sinned even more. He and his officials hardened their hearts again.

Just as the LORD had predicted through Moses, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn and he would not let the Israelites go.