And the LORD said unto Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; look, he is coming out to the water; and say unto him, ‘This says the LORD, ‘let my people go, that they may serve me. Otherwise, if you will not let my people go, watch, I will send swarms of flies upon you, and upon your servants, and upon your people, and into your houses…and also the ground on which they are. And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people live, that no swarms of flies shall be there; so you may know that I am the LORD in all of the earth.’"

And the LORD did so; and there came a oppressive swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was devastated by reason of the swarm of flies.

And Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away: appeal for me."

And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies… there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Then the LORD said unto Moses, "Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘this says the LORD God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go, and will hold them still, look, the hand of the LORD is upon your livestock which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very disastrous pestilence. And the LORD shall distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the livestock of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.’"

And the LORD did that thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, look there was not one of the livestock of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, "Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking out with sore’s upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt." And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he listened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, This says the LORD God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me. As yet you exalt yourself against my people that you will not let them go? Look, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the foundation of it even until now.

"Send therefore now, and gather your livestock, and all that you have in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die."

He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses: And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt…." And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt…such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck…all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, "I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Appeal to the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thundering and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants…neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, "This says the LORD God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, look, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into your coast…."

And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, "How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: know you not yet that Egypt is destroyed?"

And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, "Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?"

And Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD."

And Pharaoh said unto them, "Let the LORD be…with you, as if I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you."

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left."

And Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And they went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very oppressive were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees, which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in a hurry; and he said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray you, my sin only this once, and appeal to the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only." And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and appealed to the LORD. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt."

And Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their homes.

REFERENCES

Exodus 8:20-22, 24, 28, 31- 32; Exodus 9:1-4, 6-9, 12-13, 17-28, 34-35; Exodus 10:3-4, 7-10, 12-18, 20-23.

CHAPTER 7