The Eighth Plague: Locusts 1 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his bondmen, that I might do these my signs in their midst, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
2 DBY and that thou mightest tell in the ears of thy son and thy son's son what I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. BSB BSB: and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”
3 DBY And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah the God of the Hebrews: How long dost thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. BSB BSB: So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
4 DBY For, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, I will to-morrow bring locusts into thy borders; BSB BSB: But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5 DBY and they shall cover the face of the land, so that ye will not be able to see the land; and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which ye have remaining from the hail, and shall eat every tree which ye have growing in the field; BSB BSB: They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.
6 DBY and they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy bondmen, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. BSB BSB: They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
7 DBY And Pharaoh's bondmen said to him, How long shall this man be a snare to us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined? BSB BSB: Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8 DBY And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. And he said to them, Go, serve Jehovah your God. Who are they that shall go? BSB BSB: So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
9 DBY And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters; with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we have a feast of Jehovah. BSB BSB: “We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10 DBY And he said to them, Let Jehovah be so with you, as I let you go, and your little ones: see that evil is before you! BSB BSB: Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.
11 DBY Not so: go now, ye that are men, and serve Jehovah! for it is that ye have desired. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. BSB BSB: No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land — all that the hail hath left. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.”
13 DBY And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. BSB BSB: So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.
14 DBY And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt, very grievous; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them will be such. BSB BSB: The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be.
15 DBY And they covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and there remained not any green thing on the trees, and in the herbs of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. BSB BSB: They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
16 DBY And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against Jehovah your God, and against you. BSB BSB: Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
17 DBY And now, forgive, I pray you, my sin only this time, and intreat Jehovah your God that he may take away from me this death only! BSB BSB: Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
18 DBY And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated Jehovah. BSB BSB: So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD.
19 DBY And Jehovah turned a very powerful west wind, which took away the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea: there remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. BSB BSB: And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.
20 DBY And Jehovah made Pharaoh's heart stubborn, and he did not let the children of Israel go. BSB BSB: But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness 21 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness in the land of Egypt — so that one may feel darkness. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
22 DBY And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens; and there was a thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt three days: BSB BSB: So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days.
23 DBY they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place, for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. BSB BSB: No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.
24 DBY And Pharaoh called Moses and said, Go, serve Jehovah; only, let your flocks and your herds remain; let your little ones also go with you. BSB BSB: Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25 DBY And Moses said, Thou must give also sacrifices and burnt-offerings into our hands, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. BSB BSB: But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God.
26 DBY Our cattle also must go with us: there shall not a hoof be left behind; for we must take thereof to serve Jehovah our God; and we do not know with what we must serve Jehovah, until we come there. BSB BSB: Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”
27 DBY But Jehovah made Pharaoh's heart stubborn, and he would not let them go. BSB BSB: But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.
28 DBY And Pharaoh said to him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die. BSB BSB: “Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
29 DBY And Moses said, Thou hast spoken rightly: I will see thy face again no more! BSB BSB: “As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”