Exodus 10
A Darkness That Could Be Touched
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The Eighth Plague: Locusts
10:1The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and his attendants’ hearts, so that these signs may come upon them in succession,
10:2“and so that you may tell your children and your children’s children how I mocked the Egyptians and what signs I performed among them, and you may know that I am the Lord.”
10:3Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to show Me reverence? Let My people go so that they may serve Me.
10:4“If you refuse to let My people go, behold, at this hour tomorrow I will bring many locusts into all your territory.
10:5“They will cover the surface of the land, and you will not be able to see the land. They will devour all the remaining vegetation of the land that the hail left you, and devour every tree growing for you in the land.
10:6“Your houses, your attendants’ houses, and all the houses throughout the land of Egypt will be filled, as neither your fathers nor their forefathers have seen from the day they came upon the earth until this day.” Moses turned and went out from Pharaoh.
10:7Pharaoh’s attendants said to him, “How long will this be a hindrance to us? Send the men away so that they may serve their God. Do you wish to know that Egypt is ruined?”
10:8Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. He said to them, “Go, serve your God. But who are those who will go?”
10:9Moses said, “We will go with our young men and our elders, with our sons and our daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle, for it is a feast of the Lord our God.”
10:10He said to them, “Let it be so—the Lord with you! As I send you away, shall I also send your household? See, evil lies before you.
10:11“No! Let the men go and serve God, for that is what you are seeking.” They drove them out from Pharaoh’s presence.
10:12The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and let locusts come upon the land and devour all the vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail has left.”
10:13Moses raised his staff toward heaven, and the Lord brought a south wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When morning came, the south wind carried up the locusts.
10:14It brought them up over all the land of Egypt, and they settled throughout Egypt’s territory in immense numbers. There had never been such locusts before, nor would there be afterward.
10:15They covered the surface of the land, and the land was ruined. They devoured all the vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or among the vegetation of the field throughout the land of Egypt.
10:16Pharaoh hurried to call Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned before the Lord your God and against you.
10:17“Forgive my sin this once more, and pray to the Lord your God to remove this death from me.”
10:18Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to God.
10:19The Lord turned a very strong wind from the sea. It lifted the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all Egypt’s territory.
10:20The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
10:21The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and let darkness come over the land of Egypt, darkness that can be felt.”
10:22Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was darkness, gloom, and a tempest throughout the land of Egypt for three days.
10:23No one saw his brother for three days, and no one rose from his bed for three days. But all the sons of Israel had light everywhere they lived.
10:24Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Only leave your sheep and your cattle behind. Let your household go with you.”
10:25Moses said, “You must also give us burnt offerings and sacrifices so that we may offer them to the Lord our God.
10:26“Our livestock must also go with us. We will not leave a hoof behind, for we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God. We will not know with what we must serve the Lord our God until we arrive there.”
10:27The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.
10:28Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take care not to see my face again, for on the day you appear before me you shall die.”
10:29Moses said, “You have spoken. I will not appear before your face again.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.