Bible in a Year.

On the thirty-third day, we approach the climax of the confrontation. Exodus 10-11 describes the eighth and ninth plagues—locusts devouring all that remains of the hail and thick darkness for three days—followed by the announcement of the terrible tenth plague on the firstborn. Leviticus 8 recounts the solemn consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, establishing mediation between God and the people. Psalm 50 teaches about authentic worship, reminding us that God does not need empty ritual sacrifices but desires grateful hearts and genuine obedience.

Chapter 10

1. And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants: that I may work these my signs in him.

2. And thou mayest tell in the ears of thy sons, and of they grandsons, how often I have plagued the Egyptians, and wrought my signs amongst them: and you may know that I am the Lord:

3. Therefore Moses and Aaron went in to Pharao, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: How long refusest thou to submit to me? let my people go, to sacrifice to me.

4. But if thou resist, and wilt not let them go, behold I will bring in to morrow the locust into thy coasts:

5. To cover the face of the earth that nothing thereof may appear, but that which the hail hath left may be eaten: for they shall feed upon all the trees that spring in the fields.

6. And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of thy servants, and of all the Egyptians: such a number as thy fathers have not seen, nor thy grandfathers, from the time they were first upon the earth, until this present day. And he turned himself away, and went forth from Pharao.

7. And Pharao's servants said to him: How long shall we endure this scandal? let the men go to sacrifice to the Lord their God. Dost thou not see that Egypt is undone?

8. And they called back Moses and Aaron to Pharao: and he said to them: Go, sacrifice to the Lord your God: who are they that shall go?

9. Moses said: We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, with our sheep and herds: for it is the solemnity of the Lord our God.

10. And Pharao answered: So be the Lord with you, as I shall let you and your children go: who can doubt but that you intend some great evil?

11. It shall not be so: but go ye men only, and sacrifice to the Lord: for this yourselves also desired. And immediately they were cast out from Pharao's presence.

12. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand upon the land of Egypt unto the locust, that it may come upon it, and devour every herb that is left after the hail.

13. And Moses stretched forth his rod upon the land of Egypt: and the Lord brought a burning wind all that day, and night: and when it was morning, the burning wind raised the locusts:

14. And they came up over the whole land of Egypt: and rested in all the coasts of the Egyptians innumerable, the like as had not been before that time, nor shall be hereafter.

15. And they covered the whole face of the earth, wasting all things. And the grass of the earth was devoured, and what fruits soever were on the trees, which the hail had left: and there remained not any thing that was green on the trees, or in the herbs of the earth in all Egypt.

16. Wherefore Pharao in haste called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

17. But now forgive me my sin this time also, and pray to the Lord your God, that he take away from me this death.

18. And Moses going forth from the presence of Pharao, prayed to the Lord.

19. And he made a very strong wind to blow from the west, and it took the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea: there remained not so much as one in all the coasts of Egypt.

20. And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, neither did he let the children of Israel go.

21. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out they hand towards heaven: and may there be darkness upon the land of Egypt, so thick that it may be felt.

22. And Moses stretch forth his hand towards heaven: and there came horrible darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

23. No man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was: but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt there was light.

24. And Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Go sacrifice to the Lord: let your sheep only, and herds remain; let your children go with you.

25. Moses said: Thou shalt give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, to the Lord our God.

26. All the flocks shall go with us: there shall not a hoof remain of them: for they are necessary for the service of the Lord our God: especially as we know not what must be offered, till we come to the very place.

27. And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he would not let them go.

28. And Pharao said to Moses: Get thee from me, and beware thou see not my face any more: in what day soever thou shalt come in my sight, thou shalt die.

29. Moses answered: So shall it be as thou hast spoken, I will not see thy face any more.

Chapter 11

1. And the Lord said to Moses: Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharao and Egypt, and after that he shall let you go and thrust you out.

2. Therefore thou shalt tell all the people that every man ask of his friend, and every woman of her neighbour, vessels of silver, and of gold.

3. And the Lord will give favour to his people in the sight of the Egyptians. And Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharao's servants, and of all the people.

4. And he said: Thus said the Lord: At midnight I will enter into Egypt.

5. And every firstborn in the land of the Egyptians shall die, from the firstborn of Pharao who sitteth on his throne, even to the first born of the handmaid that is at the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts.

6. And there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as neither hath been before, nor shall be hereafter.

7. But with all the children of Israel there shall not a dog make the least noise, from man even to beast: that you may know how wonderful a difference the Lord maketh between the Egyptians and Israel.

8. And all these thy servants shall come down to me, and shall worship me, saying: Go forth thou, and all the people that is under thee: after that we will go out.

9. And he went out from Pharao exceeding angry. But the Lord said to Moses: Pharao will not hear you, that many signs may be done in the land of Egypt.

10. And Moses and Aaron did all the wonders that are written, before Pharao. And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, neither did he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2. Take Aaron with his sons, their vestments, and the oil of unction, a calf for sin, two rams, a basket with unleavened bread,

3. And thou shalt gather together all the congregation to the door of the tabernacle.

4. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded. And all the multitude being gathered together before the door of the tabernacle,

5. He said: This is the word that the Lord hath commanded to be done.

6. And immediately he offered Aaron and his sons: and when he had washed them,

7. He vested the high priest with the strait linen garment, girding him with the girdle, and putting on him the violet tunick, and over it he put the ephod,

8. And binding it with the girdle, he fitted it to the rational, on which was Doctrine and Truth.

9. He put also the mitre upon his head: and upon the mitre over the forehead, he put the plate of gold, consecrated with sanctification, as the Lord had commanded him.

10. He took also the oil of unction, with which he anointed the tabernacle, with all the furniture thereof.

11. And when he had sanctified and sprinkled the altar seven times, he anointed it, and all the vessels thereof, and the laver with the foot thereof, he sanctified with the oil.

12. And he poured it upon Aaron's head, and he anointed and consecrated him :

13. And after he had offered his sons, he vested them with linen tunicks, and girded them with girdles, and put mitres on them as the Lord had commanded.

14. He offered also the calf for sin: and when Aaron and his sons had put their hands upon the head thereof,

15. He immolated it: and took the blood, and dipping his finger in it, he touched the horns of the altar round about. Which being expiated, and sanctified, he poured the rest of the blood at the bottom thereof.

16. But the fat that was upon the entrails, and the caul of the liver, and the two little kidneys, with their fat, he burnt upon the altar:

17. And the calf with the skin, and the flesh and the dung, he burnt without the camp, as the Lord had commanded.

18. He offered also a ram for a holocaust: and when Aaron and his sons had put their hands upon its head,

19. He immolated it, and poured the blood thereof round about upon the altar.

20. And cutting the ram into pieces, the head thereof, and the joints, and the fat he burnt in the fire,

21. Having first washed the entrails, and the feet, and the whole ram together he burnt upon the altar, because it was a holocaust of most sweet odour to the Lord, as he had commanded him.

22. He offered also the second ram, in the consecration of priests: and Aaron, and his sons put their hands upon the head thereof:

23. And when Moses had immolated it, he took of the blood thereof, and touched the tip of Aaron's right ear, and the thumb of his right hand, and in like manner also the great toe of his right foot.

24. He offered also the sons of Aaron: and when with the blood of the ram that was immolated, he had touched the tip of the right ear of every one of them, and the thumbs of their right hands, and the great toes of their right feet, the rest he poured on the altar round about:

25. But the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that covereth the entrails, and the caul of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and with the right shoulder, he separated.

26. And taking out of the basket; of unleavened bread, which was before the Lord, a loaf without leaven, and a cake tempered with oil and a wafer, he put them upon the fat, and the right shoulder,

27. Delivering all to Aaron, and to his sons: wile having lifted them up before the Lord,

28. He took them again from their hands, and burnt them upon the altar of holocaust, because it was the oblation of consecration, for a sweet odour of sacrifice to the Lord.

29. And he took of the ram of consecration, the breast for his portion, elevating it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him.

30. And taking the ointment, and the blood that was upon the altar, he sprinkled Aaron, and his vestments, and his sons, and their vestments with it.

31. And when he had sanctified them in their vestments, he commanded them, saying: Boil the flesh before the door of the tabernacle, and there eat it. Eat ye also the loaves of consecration, that are laid in the basket, as the Lord commanded me, saying: Aaron and his sons shall eat them:

32. And whatsoever shall be left of the flesh and the leaves, shall be consumed with fire.

33. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle for seven days, until the day wherein the time of your consecration shall be expired. For in seven days the consecration is finished:

34. As at this present it hath been done, that the rite of the sacrifice might be accomplished.

35. Day and night shall you remain in the tabernacle observing the watches of the Lord, lest you die: for so it hath been commanded me.

36. And Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses.

1. A psalm for Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord hath spoken: and he hath called the earth. From the rising of the sun, to the going down thereof:

2. out of Sion the loveliness of his beauty.

3. God shall come manifestly: our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall burn before him: and a mighty tempest shall be round about him.

4. He shall call heaven from above, and the earth, to judge his people.

5. Gather ye together his saints to him: who set his covenant before sacrifices.

6. And the heavens shall declare his justice: for God is judge.

7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak: O Israel, and I will testify to thee: I am God, thy God.

8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices: and thy burnt offerings are always in my sight.

9. I will not take calves out of thy house: nor he goats out of thy flocks.

10. For all the beasts of the woods are mine: the cattle on the hills, and the oxen.

11. I know all the fowls of the air: and with me is the beauty of the field.

12. If I should be hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

13. Shall I eat the flesh of bullocks? or shall I drink the blood of goats?

14. Offer to God the sacrifice of praise: and pay thy vows to the most High.

15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

16. But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth ?

17. Seeing thou hast hated discipline: and hast cast my words behind thee.

18. If thou didst see a thief thou didst run with him: and with adulterers thou hast been a partaker.

19. Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits.

20. Sitting thou didst speak against thy brother, and didst lay a scandal against thy mother's son:

21. these things hast thou done, and I was silent. Thou thoughtest unjustly that I should be like to thee: but I will reprove thee, and set before thy face.

22. Understand these things, you that forget God; lest he snatch you away, and there be none to deliver you.

23. The sacrifice of praise shall glorify me: and there is the way by which I will shew him the salvation of God.