The Eighth Plague: Locusts
1 Now theLordsaid 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,
2 and thatyou 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 mayknow that IamtheLord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says theLordGod of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse tohumble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they mayserve Me.
4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bringlocusts into your territory.
5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; andthey 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.
6 They shallfill 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.
7 Then Pharaoh’sservants said to him, “How long shall this man bea snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve theLordtheir God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve theLordyour God. Whoarethe ones that are going?”
9 And 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, forwe must hold a feast to theLord.”
10 Then he said to them, “TheLordhad better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.
11 Not so! Go now, youwhoaremen, and serve theLord, for that is what you desired.” And they were drivenout from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then theLordsaid to Moses,“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, andeat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.”
13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and theLordbrought an east wind on the land all that day and allthatnight. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14 Andthe locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt.Theywerevery severe;previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them.
15 For theycovered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and theyate 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.
16 Then Pharaoh calledfor Moses and Aaron in haste, and said,“I have sinned against theLordyour God and against you.
17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, andentreat theLordyour God, that He may take away from me this death only.”
18 So hewent out from Pharaoh and entreated theLord.
19 And theLordturned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew theminto the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt.
20 But theLordhardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
21 Then theLordsaid to Moses,“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darknesswhichmay even be felt.”
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there wasthick darkness in all the land of Egyptthree days.
23 They 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.
24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses andsaid, “Go, serve theLord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let yourlittle ones also go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to theLordour God.
26 Ourlivestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve theLordour God, and even we do not know with what we must serve theLorduntil we arrive there.”
27 But theLordhardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
28 Then 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!”
29 So Moses said, “You have spoken well.I will never see your face again.”