The Eighth Plague: Locusts 1 WBS And the LORD said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants; that I might show these my signs before him: 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 WBS And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD. 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 WBS And Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh, and said to him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt 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 WBS Else, if thou shalt refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring the locusts into thy border: BSB BSB: But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5 WBS And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which hath escaped, which remaineth to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of 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 WBS And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, 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 to this day. And he turned himself, 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 WBS And 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: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? 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 WBS And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh: and he said to them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but 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 WBS 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 must hold a feast to the LORD. 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 WBS And he said to them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it ; for 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 WBS Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that you 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 WBS And the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even 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 WBS And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night: and 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 WBS And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt: very grievous were they ; 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 WBS For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing on the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all 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 WBS Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD 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 WBS Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD 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 WBS And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. BSB BSB: So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD.
19 WBS And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind which took away the locusts, and cast 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 WBS But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would 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 WBS And the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand towards heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 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 WBS And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there was a thick darkness in all 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 WBS 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 WBS And Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: 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 WBS And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices, and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD 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 WBS Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind; for of them must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither. 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 WBS But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, 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 WBS And Pharaoh said to him, Depart from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more: for in that 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 WBS And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more. BSB BSB: “As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”