A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Exodus 9
Exodus 9 is the ninth chapter of the book of Exodus and the chapter of the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues: livestock pestilence, boils, and hail. The 35-verse chapter follows the pattern of warning, execution, and response. The hail is the longest and most destructive plague yet, and the LORD has spoken his clearest statement about why he has raised Pharaoh up at all.
The chapter opens with the LORD telling Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand again: "Let My people go, so that they may worship Me." If Pharaoh refuses, a severe plague will fall on the livestock in the field, on horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. The LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and Egypt: none of Israel's animals will die. The next day, all the livestock of Egypt in the field dies. Not one Israelite animal is lost. Pharaoh sends inspectors and confirms it. But his heart is hardened.
The LORD then tells Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of soot from a furnace and toss it into the air in Pharaoh's sight. Boils break out on people and animals throughout Egypt. Even the magicians cannot stand before Moses because of the boils. But the LORD hardens Pharaoh's heart.
The LORD then sends Moses to confront Pharaoh in the morning with the longest warning of the chapter. The LORD could already have struck Pharaoh and his people with a plague to wipe them off the earth. But, the LORD says, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." The next day at this time he will send the worst hail Egypt has ever seen. Everyone is told to shelter livestock and servants inside; whatever remains in the field will die. Some of Pharaoh's officials, fearing the LORD's word, bring their servants and livestock inside; others ignore the warning.
Moses stretches his staff toward the sky. The LORD sends thunder and hail, and lightning flashes down to the ground. The hail strikes everything in the field across Egypt, every plant and every tree. The flax and the barley are destroyed; the wheat and the spelt, which mature later, are not. The only place where it does not hail is Goshen.
Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he says. "The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Pray to the LORD." Moses leaves the city, spreads his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and hail stop. But when Pharaoh sees the rain and hail and thunder cease, he sins again. He hardens his heart, and so do his officials, and he will not let the Israelites go.
Verse 1. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Verse 2. But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go,
Verse 3. then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
Verse 4. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
Verse 5. The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
Verse 6. And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
Verse 7. Pharaoh sent officials and found that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.
Verse 8. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air.
Verse 9. It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.”
Verse 10. So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast.
Verse 11. The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians.
Verse 12. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
Verse 13. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Verse 14. Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
Verse 15. For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth.
Verse 16. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Verse 17. Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
Verse 18. Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.
Verse 19. So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”
Verse 20. Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter,
Verse 21. but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
Verse 22. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
Verse 23. So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
Verse 24. The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
Verse 25. Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.
Verse 26. The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
Verse 27. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
Verse 28. Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
Verse 29. Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Verse 30. But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.”
Verse 31. (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;
Verse 32. but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
Verse 33. Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
Verse 34. When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials.
Verse 35. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
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