Exodus Chapter 10

The Plague of Locusts

¹ Then the LORD told Moses,

“Go to Pharaoh; I’ve hardened his and his officers’ hearts so I can perform these signs among them ² and you can tell your sons and grandsons how I mocked the Egyptians with my signs, and so you can know I’m the LORD.”

                        ³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh,

“The LORD God of the Hebrews says, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself toward me? Let my people go so they can serve me. ⁴ If you don’t, I’ll bring locusts to your realm tomorrow. ⁵ They’ll cover the ground so thick you can’t see it. They’ll eat what the hail didn’t ruin, every tree that sprouts in your field. ⁶ Your houses, your officers’ houses, every Egyptian’s house will be full of them—something your fathers and grandfathers have never seen.’”

He turned and left. ⁷ Pharaoh’s officials said, “How long will that man hold us hostage? Let the men go so they can serve the LORD their God. Can’t you see that Egypt’s destroyed?”

⁸ Pharaoh brought Moses and Aaron back, “Go serve the LORD your God! Who are going?”

⁹ Moses said, “We’ll all go with our flocks and herds to hold a festival to the LORD.”

^10-11 Pharaoh said, “Oh, no! The LORD help you if I ever let you and your little ones go! Don’t tempt me; you have ulterior motives. The men among you can go serve the LORD. That’s what you’ve been asking for.”

Pharaoh drove them out.

Ex 10:1-11

¹² Then the LORD told Moses, “Hold your hand out over Egypt; locusts will come up on the land and eat the plants the hail left.” ¹³ He held his staff out over Egypt, and the LORD made an east wind blow all that day and night. In the morning, it brought the locusts, ¹⁴ and they landed everywhere. There had never been so many, and there never would be again. ¹⁵ They covered the ground till it was black. They ate every plant and fruit tree the hail had left. There wasn’t anything green on the trees or plants anywhere in Egypt.

¹⁶ Pharaoh hurried and called for Moses and Aaron, “I’ve sinned against you and the LORD your God. ¹⁷ Forgive me just this once and pray to him to remove this death from me.”

¹⁸ Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. ¹⁹ He shifted the wind to a strong west wind that blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a one was left in Egypt. ²⁰ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let the people go.

Ex 10:12-20

The Plague of Darkness

²¹ Then he told Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky; it’ll be so dark you can feel it.” ²² Moses raised his hand toward the sky, and a dense darkness covered Egypt for three days. ²³ People couldn’t see each other, it was so dark. Nobody got up from where they were for three days, but the Israelites had light in their houses.

²⁴ Pharaoh called to Moses, “Go serve the LORD. Just leave your flocks and herds here. Even your little ones can go with you.”

²⁵ But Moses said,

“You need to let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God.  ²⁶ Our livestock has to go with us. Not a hoof will stay here. We’ll take some of them to serve the LORD. We don’t know what we’ll serve him with till we get there.”  

²⁷ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go. ²⁸ He told Moses, “Get out of here! I’m warning you, don’t ever see me again. The day you do you’ll die!” 

²⁹ “You’re right. I’ll never see you again.”

Ex 10:21-29