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Exodus 11

1Yahweh said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. After that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you out of here completely. 2Speak now in the hearing of the people: each man is to ask his neighbor, and each woman her neighbor, for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3Yahweh gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and in the eyes of the people.

4Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I am going out through the midst of Egypt. 5Every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave woman behind the millstones, and every firstborn of the livestock. 6There will be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt, such as there has never been and never will be again. 7But against any of the sons of Israel, from human to animal, not a dog will sharpen its tongue, so that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8All these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people at your feet!’ After that I will go out.” Then he left Pharaoh in burning anger.

9Yahweh said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but Yahweh strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go from his land.

Translation notes 4

11:1–4 — The announcement. The narrative places Yahweh's instructions before Moses' final speech to Pharaoh. It does not spell out the timing of every instruction; the translation does not insert an extra departure or return.

11:2 — Ask. The verb means ask or request; it does not itself say that the articles are borrowed with a promise to return them.

11:5 — The slave woman's firstborn. The death announcement reaches from the royal household to the lowest social position. “Slave woman” retains the ownership status rather than making her a hired worker.

11:7–8 — Tongue and feet. “Sharpen its tongue” is an idiom for a dog's threatening noise or growl. “The people at your feet” means the people following Moses; the bodily image is retained.