Plague #5: Livestock Die

1Then YHWH said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still, 3YHWH’s hand is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence. 4YHWH will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt; and nothing will die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’” 5YHWH appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow YHWH will do this thing in the land.” 6YHWH did that thing on the next day; and all the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7Pharaoh sent representatives who saw there was not so much as one of the livestock of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he didn’t send the people away.

Plague #6: Boils

8YHWH said to Moses and to Aaron, “Y’all take handfuls of soot from a furnace, and have Moses throw it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9It will become small dust over the whole land of Egypt, and will become boils and blisters breaking out on humans and on animals, throughout all the land of Egypt.”

10They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it up toward the sky, and it became boils and blisters breaking out on humans and animals. 11The magicians couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12YHWH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as YHWH had spoken to Moses.

Plague #7: Hail

13YHWH said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14For 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. 15For 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; 16but 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, 17because you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won’t let them go. 18Tomorrow 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. 19Now 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 human and animal that is found in the field, and isn’t brought home, and they will die.”’”

20Those who feared the word of YHWH among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses. 21Whoever didn’t respect the word of YHWH left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22YHWH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on humans, and animals, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”

23Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and YHWH sent thunder and hail. Lightning flashed down to the earth, and YHWH rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So 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. 25The 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. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

27Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. YHWH is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Y’all must pray to YHWH, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let y’all go, and y’all will stay no longer.”

29Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to YHWH. The thunders will cease, and there will not be any more hail; that you may know that the earth is YHWH’s. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that y’all don’t yet fear YHWH God.”

31The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley had ripened and the flax was blooming. 32But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they had not grown up. 33Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to YHWH; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34When 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. 35The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go, just as YHWH had spoken through Moses.