Exodus 9

The Fifth Plague: Death of Livestock

1 The Lord told Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let My people go so they can worship Me.’

2 ‘If you refuse to let them go and keep holding them back,’

3 ‘I will send a serious plague on your livestock, your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats.’

4 ‘But I will make a difference between Israel’s livestock and Egypt’s. Not a single animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’

5 The Lord even set a time, saying, ‘Tomorrow, this is going down.’

6 And the next day, the Lord did it. All the Egyptians’ livestock died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.

7 Pharaoh sent people to check it out, and sure enough, not one Israelite animal had died. But Pharaoh’s heart stayed hard, and he would not let the people go.

The Sixth Plague: Boils

8 Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron, ‘Grab some soot from a furnace. Moses, toss it into the air in front of Pharaoh.’

9 ‘It will turn into a fine dust all over Egypt, causing boils and sores to break out on people and animals.’

10 So they grabbed soot and stood in front of Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike.

11 Even the magicians could not stand before Moses because they were covered in boils, just like everyone else.

12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen, just like the Lord said.

The Seventh Plague: Hail

13 Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Get up early and go to Pharaoh. Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let My people go so they can worship Me.’

14 ‘This time, I am bringing all My power against you, your officials, and your people so you will know there is no one like Me in all the earth.’

15 ‘I could have wiped you all out with a plague by now, but I held back.’

16 ‘I let this play out so you would see My power and so My name would be known everywhere.’

17 ‘But you are still acting tough, refusing to let My people go.’

18 ‘Tomorrow, I am sending the worst hailstorm Egypt has ever seen, from the day it was founded until now.’

19 ‘Bring your livestock and whatever you care about inside, because anything left out in the open is going to get smashed by the hail.’

20 Some of Pharaoh’s officials actually listened and brought their people and animals inside.

21 But others ignored the warning and left their stuff out in the field.

The Hailstorm Hits

22 The Lord told Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky so hail will fall all over Egypt, on people, animals, and crops.’

23 Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder, hail, and lightning flashing to the ground. It was wild!

24 Massive hail came down, mixed with lightning, the worst storm Egypt had ever seen.

25 The hail wrecked everything in the fields, people, animals, and crops. It even smashed all the trees.

26 But in Goshen, where the Israelites lived, there was not a drop of hail.

Pharaoh’s Fake Apology

27 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, ‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is right, and I am wrong, me and my people.’

28 ‘Pray to the Lord to stop this thunder and hail. I will let you all go, and you do not have to stay here anymore.’

29 Moses said, ‘Alright, as soon as I leave the city, I will pray, and the storm will stop. Then you will know the earth belongs to the Lord.’

30 ‘But I know you and your officials still do not respect the Lord.’

31 The flax and barley crops were ruined because the barley was already in head and the flax was in bloom.

32 But the wheat and spelt were not destroyed because they ripen later.

Pharaoh’s Heart Hardens Again

33 Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and prayed to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rain quit.

34 But when Pharaoh saw that the storm was over, he went right back to hardening his heart, just like his officials.

35 So Pharaoh’s heart stayed hard, and he would not let the Israelites go, just like the Lord said.