Exodus 9

1Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

2If you refuse to let them go and keep holding on to them,

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

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

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

6And the next day Yahweh did it. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the Israelites died.

7Pharaoh sent men to look, and not one of the livestock of Israel had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.

8Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air in the sight of Pharaoh.

9It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and it will become boils breaking out in sores on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt.”

10So they took soot from a kiln and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on people and animals.

11The magicians could not 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 told Moses.

13Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, present yourself to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

14For this time I am sending all my plagues against your heart, and on your officials and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

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

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

17You are still setting yourself against my people by not letting them go.

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

19Now send word and bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to shelter. Every person and animal that is in the field and has not been brought inside will die when the hail comes down on them.’”

20Those of Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of Yahweh hurried their servants and their livestock into shelter.

21But those who paid no attention to the word of Yahweh left their servants and their livestock in the field.

22Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that hail will fall on the whole land of Egypt—on people and animals and on every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”

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

24There was hail, with fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail. It was very heavy, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down everything that was in the field, both people and animals. The hail struck down every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field.

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

27Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. Yahweh is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.

28Pray to Yahweh, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any 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 stop, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to Yahweh.

30But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear Yahweh God.”

31The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bloom.

32But the wheat and the spelt were not struck down, for they ripen later.

33So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to Yahweh. The thunder and the hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the earth.

34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had stopped, he sinned again. He made his heart stubborn, he and his officials.

35So Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not let the Israelites go, just as Yahweh had said through Moses.