*Exodus 9:8-10:29
God sends three more devastating plagues—boils, locusts and thick darkness—upon Egypt, but Pharaoh’s heart is still hardened.
- The Plague of Boils:
- Moses is instructed to take handfuls of soot from a furnace and scatter it toward the heavens.
- The soot becomes fine dust, causing boils to break out on humans and animals throughout Egypt.
- The magicians of Egypt are afflicted and unable to stand before Moses due to the severity of the boils.
- Pharaoh’s Hardened Heart:
- Despite the suffering inflicted by the previous plagues, Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, and he refuses to let the Israelites go.
- God forewarns Moses of more plagues to come, including the devastating hailstorm.
- Moses warns Pharaoh of the impending hailstorm and advises him to shelter his people and livestock.
- Some Egyptians heed the warning and escape the destruction, while those who disregard it suffer severe losses.
- The Plague of Hail:
- Moses stretches out his hands toward the sky, and hail, fire, and thunder descend upon Egypt.
- The hail destroys crops, trees, and animals throughout the land, sparing only the crops of the Israelites in Goshen.
- Pharaoh admits his sin and promises to let the Israelites go, but once the hail ceases, he reneges on his promise, and his heart remains hardened.
- The Plague of Locusts:
- Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh again, demanding the release of the Israelites.
- Pharaoh’s officials urge him to relent, recognizing the devastation caused by the plagues.
- Locusts cover the land of Egypt, devouring every green thing that the hail had spared.
- Pharaoh’s heart remains obstinate, and he continues to refuse the Israelites’ freedom.
- The Plague of Darkness:
- Darkness envelops Egypt for three days, so thick that it can be felt.
- Yet, in Goshen, where the Israelites dwell, there is light.
- Pharaoh offers to allow the Israelites to leave, but only if they leave their flocks and herds behind.
- Moses insists that all the Israelites, including their livestock, must go to worship God, and he rejects Pharaoh’s compromise.
Exodus 9:8–10:29 teaches us that hardening our hearts against God can lead to greater struggles. Pharaoh kept refusing to listen, and each plague brought more suffering to Egypt. This reminds us that ignoring God’s guidance can make life harder, while humility and obedience lead to peace. It encourages us to be open to God’s direction, learn from our mistakes, and trust that following Him will always lead to a better path.
Exodus 9:8-10:29 (WEB)
9:8 The LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be boils and blisters breaking out on man and on animal, throughout all the land of Egypt.”10 They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky; and it became boils and blisters breaking out on man and on animal. 11 The magicians couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.13 The LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For now I would have stretched out my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth; 16 but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth, 17 because you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won’t let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore command that all of your livestock and all that you have in the field be brought into shelter. The hail will come down on every man and animal that is found in the field, and isn’t brought home, and they will die.” ’ ”20 Those who feared the LORD’s word among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses. 21 Whoever didn’t respect the LORD’s word left his servants and his livestock in the field.22 The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”23 Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and the LORD sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the earth. The LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was very severe hail, and lightning mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.27 Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to the LORD; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunders shall cease, and there will not be any more hail; that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you don’t yet fear the LORD God.”31 The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley had ripened and the flax was blooming. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they had not grown up. 33 Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.10:1 The LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them; 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the LORD.”3 Moses and Aaron went in 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, that they may serve me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 5 and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. 6 Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”8 Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are those who will go?”9 Moses said, “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; for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”10 He said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces. 11 Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.12 The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.” 13 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 night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again. 15 For they covered the surface 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. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 17 Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”18 Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD. 19 The LORD sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.21 The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.” 22 Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.24 Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”25 Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the LORD our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve the LORD, until we come there.”27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”29 Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”