The Plague of Locusts

1Then the LORD told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I’ve hardened his heart and the hearts of his officialsa in order to performb these signs of mine among them,c 2so you may telld your children and your grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians and about my miraculous signs that I performed among them, so all of youe may know that I am the LORD.

3Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so they may servef me. 4But if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I’m going to bring locusts into your territory. 5They’ll cover the surface of the land so a persong cannot see the ground, and they’ll eat what is left for you of the residue from the hail. They’ll also eat all your trees that grow in the orchards. 6Your houses will be filled, along with the houses of all your officialsh and the houses of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor your ancestors ever saw from the time they were on earth until now.’” Then Mosesi turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

7Then the officialsj of Pharaoh told him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go so they may serve the LORD their God! Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is about to be destroyed?”

8Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he told them, “Go, servek the LORD your God. But exactly whol will go?”

9Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and our cattle, because it’s a festival to the LORD for us.”

10Then Pharaohm told them, “The LORD will certainlyn be with you if I let you and your little ones go. I knowo some evil plan is in your mind.p 11No! Let the men go and serveq the LORD, for that is what you were seeking.” Then they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.

12The LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to bringr the locusts, and they’ll come up over the land of Egypt and eat all the vegetation of the land, everything that the hail left.” 13Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind into the land all that day and throughouts the night. When morning came, the east wind brought the locusts.

14The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on all the territory of Egypt in great swarms.t There had never been locusts like this before nor would there ever be again. 15They covered the surface of the entire land so that itu was dark. They ate all the vegetation of the land and the fruit from the trees that the hail left. Nothing green was left on the trees or on the vegetation in all the land of Egypt.

16Pharaoh quickly called Moses and Aaron and said, “I’ve sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17Now, please forgive my sin only this time, and pray to the LORD your God that he would at least remove thisv from me.”

18Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. 19Then the LORD broughtw a very strong west wind that took the locusts and drove them into the Reedx Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. 20But the LORD made Pharaoh’s heart stubborny and he would not let the Israelis go.

The Plague of Darkness

21Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch your hand toward the sky and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that one can feel.” 22So Moses stretched his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23No one could see anyone else, nor could anyone get up from his place for three days. But there was light for all the Israelis in their dwellings.

24Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go servez the LORD, but your flocks and your cattle are to remain. Even your little ones can go with you!”

25Moses said, “You must let us haveaa sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the LORD our God. 26And even our livestock must go with us. Not a hoof will be left behind because we will usebb some of them to serve the LORD our God, and until we get there we won’t know what we need to servecc the LORD.”

27The LORD made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn,dd and he did not want to let them go. 28Then Pharaoh told him, “Get away from me! Watch out that you never see my face again, because on the day you see my face, you will die!”

29Moses said, “Just as you have said, I won’t see your face again!”