Study Desk

So Moses left Pharaoh's palace and pleaded with the Lord to remove all the flies.

"Go back to Pharaoh," the Lord commanded Moses. "Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.

Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh's heart remained stubborn, and he still refused to let the people go.

So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.

So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt."

So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt.

So Moses left Pharaoh's court and went out of the city. When he lifted his hands to the Lord , the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased.

Then 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.

I'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 ."

So 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.

They 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.

So 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?"

So 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.

So Moses left Pharaoh's court and pleaded with the Lord .

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart again, so he refused to let the people go.

Then 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."

So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave.