1 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Go to the king and say to him,‘This is what Yahweh, the God we Hebrews worship, says:“Let my people go in order that they may worship me. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
2 ARST Otherwise, if you refuse to free them but continue to keep them{ as your slaves}, BSB BSB: But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,
3 ARST I warn you that I will soon powerfully punish you by sending a terrible disease on all your domesticated animals to make them sick and die— on your horses, on your donkeys, on your camels, on your cattle, and on your flocks of sheep and goats. BSB BSB: then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
4 ARST But I, Yahweh, will treat the Israelites’ domesticated animals differently than the Egyptians’. None of the Israelites’ domesticated animals will die.”’” BSB BSB: But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
5 ARST Yahweh specified when he would do this. He said,“Tomorrow I will do to Egypt what I threatened.” BSB BSB: The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
6 ARST The next day Yahweh sent a disease as he had said he would and all of the Egyptians’ domesticated animals died, but none of the Israelites’ domesticated animals died. BSB BSB: And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
7 ARST The king sent{ men to look at what happened}, and they were surprised to see that none of the Israelites’ animals had died.{ But after they told that to the king,} he continued to be stubborn, and he did not let the Israelites go. BSB BSB: Pharaoh sent officials and found that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.
8 ARST Then Yahweh said to Aaron and Moses,“Take a few handfuls of ashes from an oven. Moses should throw them up into the air in front of the king. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air.
9 ARST The ashes will spread all over the country of Egypt, because they are fine dust. Everywhere in the land, the ashes will cause sores on the skin which turn red and burst open on both people and animals.” BSB BSB: It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.”
10 ARST So they took some ashes from an oven and stood in front of the king. Moses threw the ashes up into the air. As the ashes landed on both the Egyptian people and their animals, they caused sores on the skin that turned red and burst open. BSB BSB: So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast.
11 ARST Because skin sores covered the men who worked magic(along with all the rest of the Egyptians), they could not challenge Moses. BSB BSB: The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians.
12 ARST But Yahweh caused the king to continue to be stubborn. He did not obey Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had told Moses would happen. BSB BSB: But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
13 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Get up early tomorrow morning. Go and stand in front of the king and tell him that Yahweh God, the one whom the Hebrew people worship, says this:‘Let my people go in order that they may worship me{ in the wilderness}. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
14 ARST If you do not, then this time I am planning terrible disasters that will not only make your officials and the rest of your people very sad but also you yourself, in order that you might know that there is no god like me anywhere in the world. BSB BSB: Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
15 ARST By this time I could have powerfully struck you and your people with terrible diseases that would have destroyed your nation. BSB BSB: For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth.
16 ARST But I have let you live. The reason I have let you live is to show you how strong I am and so that I will be famous all over the world. BSB BSB: But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
17 ARST You are still acting proudly and refusing to let my people go. BSB BSB: Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
18 ARST So listen to this: About this time tomorrow I will cause large balls of ice to fall in Egypt. Between the time Egypt first became a nation and today, there has never been an ice storm as bad as this one will be. BSB BSB: Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.
19 ARST So you should send{ a message to all people} to put under shelter{ their} domesticated animals and everything else that{ they} own that is out in the fields. The ice will fall on every person and every animal that is out in the fields and that is not brought under a shelter. They will all die.’” BSB BSB: So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”
20 ARST { Moses did what Yahweh said.} Some of the king’ s officials believed and were afraid of what Yahweh had said. So they quickly brought all their slaves and their animals under shelters. BSB BSB: Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter,
21 ARST But those who did not believe what Yahweh had said left their slaves and their animals in the fields. BSB BSB: but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
22 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Raise your hand up toward the sky in order that balls of ice{ may fall} all over the land of Egypt— on the people, on the animals, and on all the crops in the fields.” BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 ARST So Moses lifted his staff up toward the sky, and Yahweh brought a storm with thunder, balls of ice, and lightning. Yahweh caused the balls of ice to fall all over the land of Egypt. BSB BSB: So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
24 ARST While balls of ice were falling, lightning was flashing. There had never been such a huge ice storm like that in Egypt since it first became a country. BSB BSB: The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
25 ARST The ice struck everywhere in Egypt, hitting everything that was outside, animals as well as people. The ice destroyed the crops in the fields and broke limbs off the fruit trees. BSB BSB: Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.
26 ARST Only in the region of Goshen, where the Israelites were living, was there no ice. BSB BSB: The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
27 ARST Then the king sent{ someone} to summon Moses and Aaron. He said to them,“This time{ I admit that} I have sinned.{ What} Yahweh{ has done} is right, and{ what} I and my people{ have done} is wrong. BSB BSB: Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
28 ARST Pray to Yahweh because his thunder and ice are terrible! I will let you and your people go; you do not have to stay in Egypt any longer.” BSB BSB: Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
29 ARST Moses replied,“As soon as I go out of this city, I will lift up my hands and pray to Yahweh. Then the thunder will stop, and no more ice will fall. This will happen in order that you will know that Yahweh,{ not your gods, controls everything that happens on} the earth. BSB BSB: Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
30 ARST But I know that you and your officials still do not tremble when Yahweh God comes near.” BSB BSB: But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.”
31 ARST ({ When the ice fell} it ruined the flax because the blossoms were forming. It also ruined the barley because its grain was ripe. BSB BSB: (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;
32 ARST But it did not ruin any of the wheat varieties, because they grow later in the year.) BSB BSB: but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
33 ARST So Moses left the king and went outside the city. He raised his hands toward Yahweh and prayed. Then the thunder and the ice storm stopped. The rain also stopped falling on the land of Egypt. BSB BSB: Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
34 ARST But when the king saw that the rain, the ice storm, and the thunder had stopped, he sinned again. He and his officials made themselves stubborn. BSB BSB: When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials.
35 ARST So, just as Yahweh had predicted to Moses, the king was stubborn and did not allow the Israelites to leave. BSB BSB: So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.