Exodus 9

1Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.'"

2For if you refuse to let them go and still hold on to them,

3Look, the hand of Yahweh will come upon your livestock that are in the field—upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks—with a very severe plague.

4But Yahweh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing belonging to the sons of Israel will die.

5And Yahweh set a time, saying, “Tomorrow Yahweh will do this thing in the land.”

6And Yahweh did this thing the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but from the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died.

7Pharaoh sent, and behold, not even one of Israel’s livestock had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was heavy, and he did not let the people go.

8Then Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a furnace, and let Moses throw it toward the sky before Pharaoh’s eyes.”

9And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and it will become boils breaking out with blisters on man and on beast throughout all the land of Egypt.

10So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils with blisters breaking out on man and on beast.

11And the magicians were not able to stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

12But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had spoken to Moses.

13Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.’”

14For this time I am sending all my plagues against your heart, and against your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.

15For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.

16But for this purpose I have let you stand: to show you my power, and so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

17Are you still exalting yourself against my people by not letting them go?

18Behold, about this time tomorrow I will rain down very heavy hail, such as has never been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

19So now, send word and bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not gathered into the house—the hail will come down on them, and they will die.

20Whoever among Pharaoh’s servants feared the word of Yahweh hurried his servants and his livestock into the houses.

21But whoever did not pay attention to the word of Yahweh left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that hail may come over all the land of Egypt—on man and on beast and on every plant of the field in the land of Egypt.”

23So Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh sent thunder and hail, and fire came down to the earth. And Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24There was hail, and fire flashing within the hail, very severe—such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25And the hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt everything that was in the field, from man to beast. The hail struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field.

26Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

27Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is in the right, and I and my people are the wicked ones.”

28Pray to Yahweh, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. Then I will let you go, and you will stay no longer.

29Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Yahweh; the thunder will cease, and the hail will be no more, so that you may know that the earth belongs to Yahweh.”

30But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God.

31And the flax and the barley were struck down, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.

32But the wheat and the spelt were not struck down, because they were late-ripening.

33So Moses went out from Pharaoh, out of the city, and spread out his hands to Yahweh; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain was no longer poured down on the earth.

34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he continued to sin and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

35So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as Yahweh had spoken through Moses.