Exodus, 9

1. Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is the message of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go and offer sacrifices to me.

2. If you refuse to let them go and hold them back any longer,

3. the hand of Yahweh will bring a terrible plague on your horses, your donkeys and your camels, on your cattle and your sheep.

4. But Yahweh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt. Nothing belonging to the people of Israel will die."

5. Yahweh then fixed a time and said, "It will be done tomorrow."

6. Yahweh did this the following day; all the livestock belonging to the Egyptians died, but not one owned by the Israelites died.

7. Pharaoh made inquiries and in fact found that none of the cattle belonging to the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh remained adamant and did not let the people go.

8. Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "Take two handfuls of ashes from the brick oven and let Moses throw it up in the air in front of Pharaoh's eyes.

9. It will become fine dust all over Egypt and bring festering boils on men and animals."

10. So they took ashes from the oven and, in the presence of Pharaoh, Moses threw it up in the air and it brought festering boils on men and animals.

11. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because they had boils like all the other Egyptians.

12. But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron as Yahweh had foretold.

13. Yahweh said to Moses, "Rise early; present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him: This is the message of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews: Send my people away to worship me

14. because this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you, your ministers and your people, that you may know there is no one like me in the whole world.

15. For had I wished, I could have raised my hand against you and your people, and with a similar pestilence wiped you from the face of the earth.

16. But this is why I have let you live: that you may witness my power and that my name may be celebrated throughout the earth.

17. Are you still set against my people leaving the country?

18. Tomorrow at this time I will send very heavy hail such as has never been in Egypt from the day of its foundation.

19. So now let all your livestock and all that you have in the fields take shelter, because when the hail falls on all that remains in the fields, whether men or animals, they will die."

20. Those among Pharaoh's officials who believed Yahweh's word hurried to bring their slaves and cattle inside;

21. but those who paid no attention to Yahweh's warning left their slaves and their cattle in the fields.

22. Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand towards heaven and let hail fall throughout Egypt on men and animals, and all that grows in the field."

23. Moses stretched out his staff towards heaven and Yahweh sent thunder and hail; lightning struck the earth

24. and Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt: lightning flashed in the midst of the hail. It was very heavy hail such as had never been known in all Egypt from the time it had first become a nation.

25. Throughout Egypt the hail struck everything in the fields, both men and animals. It beat down everything growing in the fields and felled every tree.

26. But where the Israelites lived there was no hail.

27. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Now it is clear I have sinned. Yahweh is in the right; I and my people are in the wrong.

28. Pray Yahweh to stop the thunder and hail! I will let you go, and no longer will you stay here."

29. Moses said to him, "As soon as I leave the town I will lift my hands towards Yahweh; the thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, and you will know that the earth is Yahweh's.

30. But as for you and your officials, I know that you don't yet fear Yahweh, our God."

31. The flax and the barley were ruined, as the barley was almost ripe and the flax was in flower,

32. but the wheat and the spelt which are late crops were not destroyed.

33. Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and raised his hands towards Yahweh. The thunder and hail ceased and it stopped raining.

34. Pharaoh, seeing that there was no rain and that the thunder and hail had ceased, sinned yet again.

35. He and his ministers remained unyielding and would not let the Israelites go, just as Yahweh had foretold through Moses.