[1] And the Lord said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh: for I have made his heart
and the hearts of his servants hard, so that I may let my signs be seen
among them: [2] And so that you may be able to give to your son and to your
son's son the story of my wonders in Egypt, and the signs which I have done
among them; so that you may see that I am the Lord. [3] Then 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 be lifted up in your pride before
me? let my people go so that they may give me worship. [4] For if you will
not let my people go, tomorrow I will send locusts into your land: [5] And
the face of the earth will be covered with them, so that you will not be
able to see the earth: and they will be the destruction of everything which
up to now has not been damaged, everything which was not crushed by the
ice-storm, and every tree still living in your fields. [6] And your houses
will be full of them, and the houses of your servants and of all the
Egyptians; it will be worse than anything your fathers have seen or their
fathers, from the day when they were living on the earth till this day. And
so he went out from Pharaoh. [7] And Pharaoh's servants said to him, How
long is this man to be the cause of evil to us? let the men go so that they
may give worship to the Lord their God: are you not awake to Egypt's
danger? [8] Then Moses and Aaron came in again before Pharaoh: and he said
to them, Go and give worship to the Lord your God: but which of you are
going? [9] And 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 are to keep a
feast to the Lord. [10] And he said to them, May the Lord be with you, if I
will let you and your little ones go! take care, for your purpose clearly
is evil. [11] Not so; but let your males go and give worship to the Lord,
as your desire is. This he said, driving them out from before him. [12] And
the Lord said to Moses, Let your hand be stretched out over the land of
Egypt so that the locusts may come up on the land for the destruction of
every green plant in the land, even everything untouched by the ice-storm.
[13] And Moses' rod was stretched out over the land of Egypt, and the Lord
sent an east wind over the land all that day and all the night; and in the
morning the locusts came up with the east wind. [14] And the locusts went
up over all the land of Egypt, resting on every part of the land, in very
great numbers; such an army of locusts had never been seen before, and
never will be again. [15] For all the face of the earth was covered with
them, so that the land was black; and every green plant and all the fruit
of the trees which was untouched by the ice-storm they took for food: not
one green thing, no plant or tree, was to be seen in all the land of Egypt.
[16] Then Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron, and said, I have done
evil against the Lord your God and against you. [17] Let me now have
forgiveness for my sin this time only, and make prayer to the Lord your God
that he will take away from me this death only. [18] So he went out from
Pharaoh and made prayer to the Lord. [19] And the Lord sent a very strong
west wind, which took up the locusts, driving them into the Red Sea; not
one locust was to be seen in any part of Egypt. [20] But the Lord made
Pharaoh's heart hard, and he did not let the children of Israel go. [21]
And the Lord said to Moses, Let your hand be stretched out to heaven, and
all the land of Egypt will be dark, so that men will be feeling their way
about in the dark. [22] And when Moses' hand was stretched out, dark night
came over all the land of Egypt for three days; [23] They were not able to
see one another, and no one got up from his place for three days: but where
the children of Israel were living it was light. [24] Then Pharaoh sent for
Moses, and said, Go and give worship to the Lord; only let your flocks and
your herds be kept here: your little ones may go with you. [25] But Moses
said, You will have to let us take burned offerings to put before the Lord
our God. [26] So our cattle will have to go with us, not one may be kept
back; for they are needed for the worship of the Lord our God; we have no
knowledge what offering we have to give till we come to the place. [27] But
the Lord made Pharaoh's heart hard, and he would not let them go. [28] And
Pharaoh said to him, Go away from me, take care that you come not again
before me; for the day when you see my face again will be your last. [29]
And Moses said, You say truly; I will not see your face again.
