Exodus 10

1Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may place these signs of mine in his midst."

2so that you recount in the hearing of your son and your grandson what I inflicted on Egypt and my signs that I placed among them, that you know that I am Yahweh.

3Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh, God of the Hebrews, 'Until when will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Send my people, that they may serve me.'"

4If you refuse to send my people away, look, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5They will cover the surface of the earth so no one can see the land. They will eat the remnant of what escaped—which remains to you from the hail—and eat every tree growing for you in the field.

6They will fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—such as neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, from the day they existed on the ground until today. He turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this be a snare to us? Send the men away so they may serve Yahweh their God—do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"

8Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve Yahweh your God; but who and who are the ones going?"

9Moses said, "With our youths and elders we will go, with our sons and daughters, with our flocks and herds we will go—for we have a feast to Yahweh."

10He said to them, “May Yahweh be with you as I send you and your little ones away! See—for evil stands before your faces.”

11No! Go now, men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you seek. He drove them out from Pharaoh's presence.

12Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so they come up over the land of Egypt and devour every plant of the land, all that the hail left."

13Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh drove an east wind across the land all that day and all the night; when morning came, the east wind carried the locusts.

14The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled across every border of Egypt; they were exceedingly severe. No locusts like them had ever appeared before them, nor will any like them appear afterward.

15They covered the surface of the whole land so that the land grew dark, devoured every herb of the land and all fruit of the trees that the hail had spared, and left no green on any tree or field herb throughout all the land of Egypt.

16Pharaoh hurried to call Moses and Aaron, and he said, "I have sinned against Yahweh your God, and against you."

17So now please forgive my sin only this time, and pray to Yahweh your God, that he may remove from me only this death.

18He left Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh.

19Yahweh turned a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all the borders of Egypt.

20Yahweh strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not send the sons of Israel away.

21Yahweh said to Moses, "Extend your hand toward the heavens, and let darkness come over the land of Egypt—darkness one can feel."

22Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and thick darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days.

23No one saw his brother, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

24Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve Yahweh—only let your flocks and your herds stay behind; let your little ones also go with you."

25Moses said, "You must also give sacrifices and burnt offerings into our hands, that we may offer them to Yahweh our God."

26Even our livestock will go with us; no hoof will remain, for we must take from it to serve Yahweh our God, and we do not know what we will serve Yahweh with until we arrive there.

27Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he refused to let them go.

28Pharaoh said to him, "Go away from me! Take care not to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you will die."

29Moses said, "You spoke well; I will see your face no more."