Study Desk

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: "^(C1)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

"For ^(C1)if you refuse to let them go and ^(F1)continue to hold them,

behold, ^(C1)the hand of the LORD ^(F1)will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.

"^(C1)But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that ^(C2)nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel."'"

And the LORD set a definite time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land."

So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and ^(C1)all the livestock of Egypt died; ^(C2)but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died.

And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But ^(C1)the heart of Pharaoh was ^(F1)hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

"Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into ^(C1)boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt."

So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal.

^(C1)The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians.

But ^(C1)the LORD ^(F1)hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "^(C1)Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: "^(C2)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.

"For this time I am going to send all My plagues ^(F1)on you and your servants and your people, so that ^(C1)you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

"For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth.

"But indeed, ^(C1)for this reason I have allowed you to ^(F1)remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth.

"Still you exalt yourself against My people ^(F1)by not letting them go.

"Behold, about this time tomorrow, ^(C1)I will ^(F1)send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded ^(F2)until now.

"So now, send word, bring ^(C1)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. ^(C2)Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die."'"

^(C1)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who ^(F1)feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses;

but everyone who ^(F1)did not pay regard to the word of the LORD ^(F2)left his servants and his livestock in the field.

Now the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that ^(F1)(C1)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the LORD ^(F1)sent ^(F2)thunder and ^(C1)hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

^(C1)The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field.

^(C1)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh ^(F1)(C1)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "^(C2)I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.

"^(C1)Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God's ^(F1)thunder and hail; and ^(C2)I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

Moses said to him, "As soon as I go out of the city, I will ^(C1)spread out my ^(F1)hands to the LORD; the ^(F2)thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that ^(C2)the earth is the LORD'S.

"^(C1)But as for you and your servants, I know that ^(C2)you do not yet ^(F1)fear ^(F2)the LORD God."

(Now the flax and the ^(C1)barley were ^(F1)ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.

But the wheat and the spelt were not ^(F1)ruined, for they ripen late.)

^(C1)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his ^(F1)hands to the LORD; and the ^(F2)thunder and the hail stopped, and rain ^(F3)no longer poured on the earth.

But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the ^(F1)thunder had stopped, he sinned again and ^(F2)hardened his heart, he and his servants.

So Pharaoh's heart was ^(F1)hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the ^(C1)LORD had spoken through Moses.