Exodus 10

1Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, because I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may set these signs of mine among them."

2so that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I dealt harshly with Egypt, and my signs that I placed among them, and so that you may know that I am Yahweh.

3So Moses and Aaron went in 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, so that they may serve me.”

4For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5And it will cover the surface of the land, so that one will not be able to see the land; and it will eat what remains of the survivors left to you from the hail, and it will eat every tree growing for you out of the field.

6And they will fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all Egypt—something your fathers and your fathers’ fathers have not seen from the day they were on the land until this day.” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Send the men away so that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”

8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve Yahweh your God. Who are the ones going?”

9Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; we will go with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds, because we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

10And he said to them, “May Yahweh indeed be with you, if I ever send you and your little ones out! See, for evil is before your faces.”

11No! Let the men go now and serve Yahweh, for that is what you are seeking.” Then he drove them out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, everything that the hail has left.”

13So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh drove an east wind over the land all that day and all the night. When morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.

14And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in every territory of Egypt—an extremely severe swarm. never before had there been locusts like it, nor will there be again after it.

15And it covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and it ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. No green thing remained on the trees or on the plants of the field in all the land of Egypt.

16Then Pharaoh hurried to call for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you.”

17So now, please forgive my sin just this once, and plead with Yahweh your God, that he may remove from me this death only.

18So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with Yahweh.

19And Yahweh turned a very strong west wind, and it carried away the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.

20But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

21Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, and the darkness may be felt.”

22So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days.

23They did not see one another, and no one rose from his place for three days; but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.

24Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve Yahweh. Only let your flocks and your herds remain behind; even your little ones may go with you.”

25But Moses said, “You also must give into our hands sacrifices and burnt offerings, and we will offer them to Yahweh our God.”

26And even our livestock will go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for from them we must take to serve Yahweh our God, and we do not know with what we must serve Yahweh until we arrive there.

27But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.

28Then Pharaoh said to him, “Go away from me. Watch yourself; do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”

29And Moses said, “As you have spoken, I will not again see your face.”