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Exodus 10

New International Reader’s Version



1 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh. I have made him stubborn. I have also made his officials stubborn so I can perform my signs among them. 2 Then you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren how hard I was on the Egyptians. You can tell them I performed my signs among the people of Egypt. And all of you will know that I am the LORD.’ 3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says, “How long will you refuse to obey me? Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me. 4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 5 They will cover the ground so that it can’t be seen. They will eat what little you have left after the hail. That includes every tree growing in your fields. 6 They will fill your houses. They will be in the homes of all your officials and your people. Your parents and your people before them have never seen anything like it as long as they have lived here.” ’ Then Moses turned round and left Pharaoh. 7 Pharaoh’s officials said to him, ‘How long will this man be a trap for us? Let the people go. Then they’ll be able to worship the LORD their God. After everything that’s happened, don’t you realise that Egypt is destroyed?’ 8 Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. ‘Go. Worship the LORD your God,’ he said. ‘But tell me who will be going.’ 9 Moses answered, ‘We’ll go with our young people and old people. We’ll go with our sons and daughters. We’ll take our flocks and herds. We are supposed to hold a feast to honour the LORD.’ 10 Pharaoh said, ‘Suppose I ever let you go, along with your women and children. Then the LORD really will be with all of you! Clearly you are planning to do something bad. 11 No! I’ll only allow the men to go and worship the LORD. After all, that’s what you have been asking for.’ Then Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight. 12 The LORD said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand over Egypt so that locusts cover the land. They will eat up everything growing in the fields. They will eat up everything left by the hail.’ 13 So Moses reached out his walking stick over Egypt. Then the LORD made an east wind blow across the land. It blew all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts. 14 Large numbers of them came down in every part of Egypt. There had never been a plague of locusts like it before. And there will never be one like it again. 15 The locusts covered the ground until it was black. They ate up everything left after the hail. They ate up everything growing in the fields. They ate up the fruit on the trees. There was nothing green left on any tree or plant in the whole land of Egypt. 16 Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. He said, ‘I have sinned against the LORD your God. I’ve also sinned against you. 17 Now forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me.’ 18 After Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the LORD. 19 The LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts. It blew them into the Red Sea. Not even one locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20 But the LORD made Pharaoh stubborn. So Pharaoh wouldn’t let the people of Israel go. 



21 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Reach out your hand towards the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt. It will be so dark that people can feel it.’ 22 So Moses reached out his hand towards the sky. Then complete darkness covered Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or go anywhere for three days. But all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses. He said to him, ‘Go. Worship the LORD. Even your women and children can go with you. Just leave your flocks and herds behind.’ 25 But Moses said, ‘You must allow us to take our animals. We need to offer them as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock must also go with us. We have to use some of them to worship the LORD our God. We can’t leave even one animal behind. Until we get there, we won’t know what we are supposed to use to worship the LORD.’ 27 But the LORD made Pharaoh stubborn. So he wouldn’t let the people go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, ‘Get out of my sight! Make sure you don’t come to see me again! If you do, you will die.’ 29 ‘I’ll do just as you say,’ Moses replied. ‘I will never come to see you again.’ 

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Exodus 10

English Standard Version



1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” (Ex 7:17; Ex 13:8; Ex 13:14; De 4:9; De 6:20; Ps 78:5; Joe 1:3) 3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. (1Ki 21:29) 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, (Le 11:22; Pr 30:27; Joe 1:4; Joe 2:25; Re 9:3) 5 and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, (Ex 9:32) 6 and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. (Ex 8:3; Ex 8:21; Joe 2:9) 7 Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” (Ex 10:24) 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” (Ex 3:18; Ex 5:1) 10 But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.[1] (Ex 10:24) 11 No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. 12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” (Ex 7:19; Ex 10:4) 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. (Ps 78:46; Ps 105:34; Joe 2:2) 15 They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. (Ps 105:35) 16 Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. (Ex 9:27) 17 Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” (Ex 8:8) 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. (Ex 8:30; Ex 9:33) 19 And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. (Joe 2:20) 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go. (Ex 4:21) 



21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” (Ex 10:12; Ps 105:28) 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. (Ex 8:22; Ex 9:4; Ex 9:6) 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” (Ex 10:8; Ex 10:10) 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. (Ex 10:20) 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.” (Heb 11:27) 

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