| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then 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, | 1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. |
| 2and 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.” | 2I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD.” |
| 3So 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. | 3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. |
| 4But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. | 4If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. |
| 5They 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. | 5They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. |
| 6They 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. | 6They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh. |
| 7Pharaoh’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 is in ruins?” | 7Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the LORD their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?” |
| 8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?” | 8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the LORD your God. But who exactly will be going with you?” |
| 9“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.” | 9Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the LORD.” |
| 10Then 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. | 10Pharaoh retorted, “The LORD will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. |
| 11No, 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. | 11Never! Only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace. |
| 12Then 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.” | 12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.” |
| 13So 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. | 13So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the LORD caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. |
| 14The 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. | 14And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. |
| 15They 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. | 15For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt. |
| 16Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. | 16Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you,” he confessed. |
| 17Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.” | 17“Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the LORD your God to take away this death from me.” |
| 18So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD. | 18So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the LORD. |
| 19And 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. | 19The LORD responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. |
| 20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go. | 20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go. A Plague of Darkness |
| 21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.” | 21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” |
| 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. | 22So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. |
| 23No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings. | 23During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived. |
| 24Then 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.” | 24Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the LORD,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.” |
| 25But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. | 25“No,” Moses said, “you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God. |
| 26Even 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.” | 26All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the LORD our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the LORD until we get there.” |
| 27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. | 27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he would not let them go. |
| 28“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.” | 28“Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!” |
| 29“As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.” | 29“Very well,” Moses replied. “I will never see your face again.” |
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