Exodus 9 - 12 - Legacy Standard Bible

Exodus 9 - 12

The Plague of Dying Egyptian Livestock

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, 3 behold, the hand of Yahweh will come with a very heavy pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. 4 But Yahweh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” 5 Yahweh also set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow Yahweh will do this thing in the land.” 6 So Yahweh did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened with firmness, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

8 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took the soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had spoken to Moses.

The Plague of Hail

13 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I will send all My plagues against your heart and amongst your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 For if by now I had sent forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been wiped out from the earth. 16 But, indeed, for this reason I have caused you to stand, in order to show you My power and in order to recount My name through all the earth. 17 Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go. 18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will rain down very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 So now, send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, the hail will come down on them, and they will die.”’” 20 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of Yahweh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21 but he who did not consider in his heart the word of Yahweh left his servants and his livestock in the field. 22 Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh gave forth thunder and hail, and fire went down to the earth. And Yahweh rained down hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from man to beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. 27 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time; Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 Entreat Yahweh, for God’s thunder and hail are too much; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 And Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh; the thunder will cease, and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is Yahweh’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God.” 31 (Now the flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck down, for they are late-ripening.) 33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to Yahweh; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth. 34 But Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased. So he sinned again and hardened his heart with firmness, he and his servants. 35 And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants with firmness, that I may set these signs of Mine among them, 2 and that you may recount in the hearing of your son and of your grandson, how I dealt severely with the Egyptians, and how I put My signs among them, that you may know that I am Yahweh.” 3 Then Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let 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 And they shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what remains for you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field. 6 Then your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians shall be filled, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 7 And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve Yahweh your God! Who are the ones that are going?” 9 And Moses said, “We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for it is a feast of Yahweh for us.” 10 Then he said to them, “Thus may Yahweh be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! See, for evil is on your faces. 11 Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve Yahweh, for that is what you are seeking.” So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. 12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, all that the hail has left remaining.” 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt; they were very heavy. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate 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 called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you. 17 So now, please forgive my sin only this once and entreat Yahweh your God, that He would only cause this death to depart from me.” 18 And he went out from Pharaoh and entreated Yahweh. 19 So Yahweh changed the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

The Plague of Darkness

21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick 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, but all the sons of Israel had light in their places of habitation. 24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have in our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to Yahweh our God. 26 Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall remain behind, for we shall take some of them to serve Yahweh our God. And until we come there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve Yahweh.” 27 But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29 And Moses said, “As you have spoken; I shall never see your face again!”

Yahweh Says One More Plague

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people so that each man may ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 (And Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses himself was very great in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.) 4 So Moses said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the servant-girl who is behind the millstones; and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 But for any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may know how Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 Then all these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My miraculous wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Now Moses and Aaron did all these miraculous wonders before Pharaoh; yet Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

The Passover Lamb

Now Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to apportion the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be a male, without blemish, a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh that night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. 10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Passover of Yahweh. 12 And I will go through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am Yahweh. 13 And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and I will see the blood, and I will pass over you, and there shall be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to Yahweh; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a perpetual statute. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 Now on the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be done by you. 17 You shall also keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as a perpetual statute. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your places of habitation you shall eat unleavened bread.’” 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Bring out and take for yourselves lambs according to your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the doorway of his house until morning. 23 And Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, and Yahweh will pass over the doorway and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you. 24 And you shall keep this event as a statute for you and your children forever. 25 And it will be, when you enter the land which Yahweh will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep this new slavery. 26 And it will be when your children say to you, ‘What is the meaning of this new slavery to you?’ 27 that you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to Yahweh who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but delivered our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped. 28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

Death of the Firstborn of Egypt

29 Now it happened at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Then Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have spoken. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have spoken, and go, and bless me also.”

Israel Goes Out from Egypt

33 And the Egyptians strongly pressed the people to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” 34 So the people took up their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses—they had asked from the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from the little ones. 38 A foreign multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. 39 And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 40 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 And it happened at the end of 430 years, to the very day, that all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night to be kept for Yahweh for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for Yahweh, to be kept by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

The Statute of the Passover

43 And Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it; 44 but every man’s slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. 45 A foreign resident or a hired person shall not eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in a single house; you shall not bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, and you shall not break any bone of it. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall celebrate this. 48 But if a sojourner sojourns with you and celebrates the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. 49 The same law shall apply to the native as to the sojourner who sojourns among you.” 50 So all the sons of Israel did; as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, thus they did. 51 And on that same day Yahweh brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.