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Exodus 9

1Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go so that they may serve me. 2For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3look, Yahweh's hand will fall on your livestock in the field—on horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, and flocks—with a very heavy pestilence. 4But Yahweh will distinguish between Israel's livestock and Egypt's livestock, so that nothing belonging to the sons of Israel dies.’” 5Yahweh appointed a time, saying, “Tomorrow Yahweh will do this thing in the land.” 6Yahweh did this thing the next day, and all Egypt's livestock died, but not one of the sons of Israel's livestock died. 7Pharaoh sent to investigate, and look, not even one of Israel's livestock had died. But Pharaoh's heart was heavy, and he did not let the people go.

8Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the heavens in Pharaoh's sight. 9It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt and become boils breaking out in blisters on humans and animals throughout the land of Egypt.” 10They took the kiln soot and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it toward the heavens. It became boils breaking out in blisters on humans and animals. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and all the Egyptians. 12Yahweh strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had told Moses.

13Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go so that they may serve me. 14For this time I am sending all my plagues against your heart, against your servants, and against your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been wiped off the earth. 16But for this reason I have kept you standing: to show you my power, and so that my name may be proclaimed throughout the earth. 17You are still exalting yourself against my people by not letting them go. 18Look, about this time tomorrow I will rain down very heavy hail, unlike anything in Egypt from the day of its founding until now. 19Now send orders to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to safety. Every human and animal found in the field and not gathered into a house will die when the hail comes down on them.’” 20Those among Pharaoh's servants who feared Yahweh's word hurried their slaves and livestock into the houses. 21But those who did not take Yahweh's word to heart left their slaves and livestock in the field.

22Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, so that there is hail throughout the land of Egypt, on humans and animals and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt.” 23Moses stretched out his staff toward the heavens, and Yahweh sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24There was hail, with fire flashing within the hail, very heavy, unlike anything in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck everything in the field, from human to animal. The hail struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

27Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. Yahweh is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28Plead with Yahweh! There has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer.” 29Moses said to him, “As soon as I leave the city, I will spread out my palms to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to Yahweh. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear Yahweh God.” 31The flax and barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32But the wheat and spelt were not struck down, for they ripen later. 33Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his palms to Yahweh. The thunder and hail stopped, and rain no longer poured down on the earth. 34When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again and made his heart heavy, he and his servants. 35Pharaoh's heart grew firm, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as Yahweh had said through Moses.

Translation notes 6

9:6 — All Egypt's livestock. Verse 3 locates the threatened livestock in the field; later verses still mention Egyptian animals. That setting may limit the scope of “all,” but the draft does not insert an exception or replace the totalizing wording with “many.”

9:14 — Against your heart. The bodily expression can mean against Pharaoh himself or his innermost person. The wording also recalls the repeated descriptions of his resistant heart.

9:15–16 — Kept you standing. Verse 15 describes what God could already have done, rather than a pestilence that has in fact killed Pharaoh. “Kept you standing” renders the Hebrew causative verb; “raised you up” is another possible rendering. Romans 9:17 cites this declaration in its own Greek wording.

9:23–24 — Thunder and fire. The Hebrew calls thunder “voices” and describes fire moving earthward and flashing amid the hail. Lightning is the natural contextual sense of the fire; the draft preserves the description.

9:27 — In the right. The Hebrew uses the words commonly rendered “righteous” and “wicked.” Here Pharaoh acknowledges that Yahweh is right in the dispute and he and his people are guilty; the confession is not presented as lasting repentance.

9:28 — God's thunder. The phrase can also express intensity, “mighty thunder.” The draft retains its explicit reference to God.