The Plague of Locusts
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 perform these signs of mine among them 2that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to 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. 4If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 5They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. 6They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’ ” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7Pharaoh’s officials said to 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 ruined?”
8Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”
9Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.”
10Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.10:10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you! 11No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”
13So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
16Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea.10:19 Or the Sea of Reeds Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
The Plague of Darkness
21Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
24Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”
25But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. 26Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”
27But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”
29“Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.”
蝗蟲之災
1耶和華對摩西說：「你去見法老，我已使他和他臣僕的心剛硬，好在他們當中行我這些神蹟。 2這樣，你就可以把我如何嚴懲埃及人以及我在他們當中所行的神蹟告訴你的子孫，好叫你們知道我是耶和華。」
3摩西和亞倫便去見法老，對他說：「希伯來人的上帝耶和華說，『你要到什麼時候才肯在我面前謙卑下來？放我的子民走，他們好事奉我。 4你若再不答應，明天我要使蝗蟲飛入你的國境。 5牠們鋪天蓋地，要吃光冰雹過後田間所剩的，包括一切樹木。 6你的王宮及臣僕和所有埃及人的房屋都要佈滿蝗蟲，這是你祖祖輩輩從未見過的蝗災。』」摩西說完，便轉身離開法老。
7臣僕對法老說：「這個人害我們要到什麼時候呢？讓他們離開去事奉他們的上帝耶和華吧！埃及快被毀滅了，你不知道嗎？」 8法老便召回摩西和亞倫，對他們說：「你們去事奉你們的上帝耶和華吧！但你們誰要去呢？」 9摩西回答說：「我們男女老幼都要去，還有我們的牛群和羊群，因為我們要去守耶和華的節期。」 10法老聽後，說：「我若讓你們帶走婦女和孩子，最好耶和華能保護你們！你們真是居心叵測。 11不行！只有男子可以去事奉耶和華，這是你們一直要求的。」法老說完，便下令把他們趕出去。
12耶和華對摩西說：「你向埃及伸杖，使蝗蟲飛來吃盡冰雹過後田野剩下的一切植物。」 13摩西就向埃及伸杖。耶和華使東風在埃及境內颳了整整一天一夜，到早晨，東風帶來了蝗蟲。 14埃及到處都佈滿了蝗蟲，數目之多實在是空前絕後。 15蝗蟲遍佈整個埃及，地上一片黑暗。這些蝗蟲吃盡了冰雹過後剩下的農作物和樹上的果子，沒有留下一點青綠。 16法老急忙召見摩西和亞倫，對他們說：「我得罪了你們的上帝耶和華，又得罪了你們。 17現在求你饒恕我的罪，就這一次，為我祈求你們的上帝耶和華撤去這場死亡之災吧！」 18摩西就離開法老出去祈求耶和華， 19耶和華就把風向倒轉，變成猛烈的西風，把蝗蟲颳走，吹進紅海。埃及境內一隻蝗蟲也沒留下。 20可是，耶和華又使法老心硬，他不讓以色列人離開埃及。
黑暗之災
21耶和華對摩西說：「你向天伸杖，使埃及全境漆黑一片，那黑暗濃得甚至可以摸到。」 22摩西向天伸杖，埃及全境便漆黑了三天之久。 23埃及人彼此看不見，誰也不敢移動半步。可是，以色列人住的地方卻有光。 24法老把摩西召來，對他說：「去事奉耶和華吧，你們的婦女和孩子也可以去，但你們要把牛羊留下。」 25摩西回答說：「你得允許我們有祭物和燔祭牲獻給我們的上帝耶和華。 26我們要帶走所有的牲畜，一隻蹄子也不留下，因為我們要從其中選一些來獻給我們的上帝耶和華。我們抵達目的地前，還不知道把哪些獻給祂。」 27但耶和華使法老的心剛硬，他不肯讓以色列百姓離開。 28法老對摩西說：「給我退下！不要再讓我見到你，因為你再見我面之日必死。」 29摩西回答說：「你說得好，我必不再見你的面。」
