Exodus 10:1-20

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

1Then 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, 2and athat 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, bthat you may know that I am the Lord.”

3So 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 chumble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 4For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring dlocusts into your country, 5and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eeat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, 6and they shall fill fyour 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.

7Then 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?” 8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, gGo, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” 9Moses 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 hwe must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your ilittle ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.
Hebrew before your face
11No! 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.

12Then the Lord said to Moses, k“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and leat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.” 13So 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 mThe locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, nsuch a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 15They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and othey 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. 16Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, p“I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 17Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and qplead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” 18So rhe went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 19And the Lord turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them sinto the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 20But the Lord thardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

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