New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him,

1Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them,

2and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

2and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am the LORD."

3So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

3So Moses and Aaron went in 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, that they may worship me.

4Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

4But if you refuse to let my people go, then tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.

5They will cover the surface of the land so that no one will be able to see the land. They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in the fields.

6They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

6They will fill your houses, all your officials' houses, and the houses of all the Egyptians--something your fathers and grandfathers never saw since the time they occupied the land until today." Then he turned and left Pharaoh's presence.

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 know that Egypt is destroyed?”

7Pharaoh's officials asked him, "How long must this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Don't you realize yet that Egypt is devastated?"

8So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "Go, worship the LORD your God," Pharaoh said. "But exactly who will be going?"

9And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

9Moses replied, "We will go with our young and with our old; we will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds because we must hold the LORD's festival."

10Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.

10He said to them, "The Lord would have to be with you if I would ever let you and your families go! Look out--you're heading for trouble.

11Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

11No, go--just able-bodied men--worship the LORD, since that's what you want." And they were driven from Pharaoh's presence.

12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.”

12The LORD then said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come up over it and eat every plant in the land, everything that the hail left."

13So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

13So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind over the land all that day and through the night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.

14And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them.

14The locusts went up over the entire land of Egypt and settled on the whole territory of Egypt. Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again.

15For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

15They covered the surface of the whole land so that the land was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.

16Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

16Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

17Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.”

17Please forgive my sin once more and make an appeal to the LORD your God, so that he will just take this death away from me."

18So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.

18Moses left Pharaoh's presence and appealed to the LORD.

19And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt.

19Then the LORD changed the wind to a strong west wind, and it carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.

20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the Israelites go.

21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.”

21Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt."

22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days.

23They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

23One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.

24Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.”

24Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your families may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind."

25But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

25Moses responded, "You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to prepare for the LORD our God.

26Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”

26Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind because we will take some of them to worship the LORD our God. We will not know what we will use to worship the LORD until we get there."

27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.

28Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

28Pharaoh said to him, "Leave me! Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die."

29So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”

29"As you have said," Moses replied, "I will never see your face again."

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.