1 Then the Loʀᴅ said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for AEx 4:21; 7:13; Josh 11:20; John 12:40; Rom 9:18I have 1Lit made heavyhardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may 2Lit putperform these signs of Mine 3Lit in his midstamong them, 2 and AEx 12:26, 27; 13:8, 14, 15; Deut 4:9; Ps 44:1; 78:5; Joel 1:3that you may tell in the 1Lit earshearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I 2Lit putperformed My signs among them, BEx 7:5, 17that you may know that I am the Loʀᴅ.”

3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to A1 Kin 21:29; 2 Chr 34:27; James 4:10; 1 Pet 5:6humble yourself before Me? BEx 4:23Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4  ‘For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5  ‘They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. AJoel 1:4; 2:25They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field. 6  ‘Then AEx 8:3, 21your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they 1Lit werecame upon the earth until this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 7 AEx 7:5; 8:19; 12:33Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be BEx 23:33; Josh 23:13; 1 Sam 18:21; Eccl 7:26a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Loʀᴅ their God. Do you not 1Lit knowrealize that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron AEx 8:8were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “BEx 8:25Go, serve the Loʀᴅ your God! 1Lit Who and who areWho are the ones that are going?” 9 Moses said, “AEx 12:37, 38We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, BEx 10:26with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we 1Lit have a feastmust hold a feast to the Loʀᴅ.” 10 Then he said to them, “Thus may the Loʀᴅ be with you, 1Lit when Iif ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is 2Lit before your facein your mind. 11  “Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the Loʀᴅ, for 1Lit you desire itthat is what you desire.” So AEx 10:28they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12 Then the Loʀᴅ said to Moses, “AEx 7:19Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and BEx 10:5, 15eat every plant of the land, even all that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Loʀᴅ directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind 1Lit carriedbrought the APs 78:46; 105:34locusts. 14 ADeut 28:38; Ps 78:46; 105:34; Joel 1:4, 7; 2:1-11; Rev 9:3The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very 1Lit heavynumerous. There had never been so many 2Lit locusts like them before themlocusts, nor would there be so many 3Lit after themagain. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they AEx 10:5; Ps 105:34fate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly AEx 8:8called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “BEx 9:27I have sinned against the Loʀᴅ your God and against you. 17  “Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and AEx 8:8, 28; 9:28; 1 Kin 13:6make supplication to the Loʀᴅ your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” 18 AEx 8:30He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Loʀᴅ. 19 So the Loʀᴅ shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the 1Lit Sea of ReedsRed Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But AEx 4:21; 11:10the Loʀᴅ 1Lit made stronghardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

21 Then the Loʀᴅ said to Moses, “AEx 9:22Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness BDeut 28:29which may be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was APs 105:28; Rev 16:10thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, AEx 8:22but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24 Then Pharaoh AEx 8:8, 25called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Loʀᴅ; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even BEx 10:10your little ones may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also 1Lit give into our handlet us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may 2Lit makesacrifice them to the Loʀᴅ our God. 26  “AEx 10:9Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Loʀᴅ our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Loʀᴅ.” 27 But AEx 4:21; 10:20; 14:4, 8the Loʀᴅ 1Lit made stronghardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “AEx 10:11Get away from me! 1Lit Take heed to yourselfBeware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 Moses said, “You are right; AEx 11:8; Heb 11:27I shall never see your face again!”