CHAP. VII. THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT. THE Eternal said afterwards to Moses, I have made thee a judge to Pharaoh; and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy interpreter. 2. Thou shalt say all that I command thee. Aaron shall also speak to Pharaoh, to send the Israelites out of his land. 3. And I will leave him to his hardness of heart, and do many wonderful judgements in Egypt. 4. He will not hearken to you; therefore will I smite Egypt, and bring out my people by great judgements. 5. Then all the Egyptians shall know that I am the Eternal. 6. Now Moses and Aaron did as the Eternal commanded them. 7. Moses was eighty, and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spake to Pharaoh. 8. Now the Eternal said to Moses and Aaron, 9. When Pharaoh shall ask a miracle of you, as a proof that God hath sent you, then thou shalt say to Aaron, Cast thy rod on the ground before Pharaoh and his servants, and it shall become a serpent. 10. So they went to Pharaoh, and did as the Eternal commanded, and the rod was changed to a serpent, before Pharaoh and his servants. 11. Then Pharaoh called the wise men and the magicians, and they did the like with their enchantments; 12. But Aaron's swallowed up theirs. 13. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so that he hearkened not to them as the Eternal said; 14. But refused to let them go. 15. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Go to Tharaoh in the morning, when he goeth out to the rier, and stand by the river side, with the od in thine nand; 16. And say to him, The Eternal, the Hebrews God, sent me to tell thee to let his people go, to serve him in the wilderness, but hither.o thou wouldest not hearken. 17. Thou shalt know that I am the Eternal, by smiting the waters in the ri ver with the rod, so that they shall be turned to blood. 18. And the fish in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; so the Egyptians shail abhor to drink of it. 19. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Say to Aaron, take thy rod in thine hand, and stretch it out toward all the waters of Egypt, that they may become blood in the rivers, lakes, and cisterns, and in vessels of wood or stene. 20. Moses and Aaron did as the Eternal commanded; so all the waters in Egypt were turned to blood in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. 21. And the fish in the river died, for the river stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink. 22. Then the Egyptians did so with their enchantments; so Pharaoh's heart was hardened, that he hearkened not to them; for he was not influenc ed by either this or the former prodigy. 23. So he returned to his house. 24. Now all the Egyptians digged about the river for waters to drink. 25. The river continued seven days in this state. CHAP. VIII. FROGS ARE SENT AS A SECOND PLAGUE. AGAIN the Eternal said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Eternal, let my people go to serve me, 2. Else I will infest all thy country with frogs. 3. The river shall produce frogs abundantly, which shall come into thine house, and upon thy bed, and into all the places of all thy people, even into their ovens, and upon their food, and on themselves. 4. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Say to Aaron, 5. Stretch forth thine hand with the rod towards the rivers, lakes, and all the waters, and cause frogs to come on all the land of Egypt. 6. Now he did so; and the frogs covered the land. 7. And the magicians did the like with their enchantments. 8. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Eternal to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let his people go to sacrifice to him. 9. Then Moses said to Pharaoh, Appoint me the time to have the frogs removed from thee, and thy people,that they may remain in the river only, 10.So he said to-morrow. Then Moses said, It shall be done according to thy desire, that thou mayest know that there is no God, but the Eternal our God, 11. When the frogs shall be removed from thee, and thy people, which the magicians cannot do. 12. Then all the frogs in the villages, houses, and fields, died, 13. When Moses prayed to the Eternal: 14. And they collected them into heaps; they made the land to stink. 15. But when Pharaoh was thus relieved from trouble, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not to them, as the Eternal had said. 16. Therefore he said to Moses, Say to Aaron, smite the dust of the land with thy rod that it may become gnats through all Egypt. 17. Then they did so; and all the dust of Egypt became lice upon man and beast. 18. Now the magicians endeavoured to do so with their enchantments, but they could not. 19. Then they said to Pharaoh, This is done by the power of God; yet he hardened his heart, and would not let the people go, as the Eternal said. 20. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Go early in the morning to appear before Pharaoh, when he comes to the river, and say to him, Thus saith the Eternal, let my people go to serve me, 21. Else I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and thy servants and people; the houses shall be full of them, and the ground covered with them. 22. But there shall none fly to Goshen, where my people dwell, that thou mayest know that the Eternal ruleth over all the earth. 23. To-morrow shall it be. 24. Then both man and beast were tormented with the grievous swarms of beetles which ravaged the land. 25. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, Go and sacrifice to your God in the land. 26. But Moses said, We cannot, for the Egyptians would stone us, when they saw us sacrifice the animals wherewith they do abomination in worshipping them as gods. 27. But we will go three days journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to our God as he commanded. 28. Then Pharaoh said, I will let you go (to sacrifice to the Eternal your God in the wilderness), only you shall not go far. Pray for me. 29. Then Moses said, I will go out from thee, and intreat the Eternal to remove the swarms of flies from thee, and thy servants, and people, tomorrow; but deal no more deceitfully in refusing to let the people go (to sacrifice to the Eternal). 30. Then Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the Eternal; 31. So he removed all the flies. 32. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, and would not let the Hebrews go. CHAP. IX. THE MURRAIN OF BEASTS. THEN the Eternal said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Eternal, the Hebrews God, let my people go to serve me; 2. But if thou refusest, and holdest them still, 3. The Eternal will send a very grievous pestilence to destroy thy cattle in the field, and in the houses, the horses, asses, camels, oxen, and sheep; 4. But none of the Hebrews cattle shall die. 5. To-morrow the Eternal will do this. 6. So all the cattle that died were the Egyptians. 7. Yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so that he would not let the Hebrews go. 8. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Take handfuls of ashes from the furnace, and scatter them towards heaven before Pharaoh. 9. And this small dust shall fly over all the land of Egypt, and cause a burning scurvy, and ulcers with swelling blisters, on man and beast, through all Egypt. 10. Then Moses and Aaron did so. 11. And this plague was on all the Egyptians, for the magicians could not stand before Moses, it was so sore on them. 12. But the Eternal left Pharaoh to his hardness of heart, so he obeyed not Moses' word. 13. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Go early in the morning and appear before Pharaoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Eternal, the Hebrews God, let my people go to serve me, 14. Else I will now send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants and people, that thou mayst know that there is no other God; 15. For now I could smite thee and thy people with pestilence, till thou be cut off from the earth. 16. And, indeed, for this end have I made thee great, to shew in thee my power, that my name may be made known through all the earth; 17. Yet thou exaltest thyself against my people, and wilt not let them go. 18. Behold, to morrow, about this time, I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, nothing such hath ever been in Egypt: 19. Send therefore now and bring home all thy cattle, for every man and beast in the field will die by the hail. 20. They who feared the Eternal's word, made their servants and cattle flee to the houses. 21. But they who believed not left them in the field. 22. Then the Eternal said to Moses, Stretch out thine hand with thy rod toward heaven, that there may be hail on all the land of Egypt on man and beast, and on every herb in the field. 23. Then Moses did so; and the Eternal sent thunder and hail, and fire ran along the ground, 24. So there was |