The fifth plague: death of Egyptian livestock
1Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is the message of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go and offer sacrifices to me. 2If you refuse to let them go and hold them back any longer, 3the hand of Yahweh will bring a terrible plague on your horses, your donkeys and your camels, on your cattle and your sheep. 4But Yahweh will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt. Nothing belonging to the people of Israel will die.’
5Yahweh then fixed a time and said, “It will be done tomorrow.” 6Yahweh did this the following day; all the livestock belonging to the Egyptians died, but not one owned by the Israelites died. 7Pharaoh made inquiries and in fact found that none of the cattle belonging to the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh remained adamant and did not let the people go.
The sixth plague: the boils
8Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Take two handfuls of ashes from the brick oven and let Moses throw it up in the air in front of Pharaoh’s eyes. 9It will become fine dust all over Egypt and bring festering boils on people and animals.” 10So they took ashes from the oven and, in the presence of Pharaoh, Moses threw it up in the air and it brought festering boils on people and animals. 11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because they had boils like all the other Egyptians.
12But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron as Yahweh had foretold.
The seventh plague: the hail
13Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise early; present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him: ‘This is the message of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews: Send my people away to worship me 14because this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you, your ministers and your people, that you may know there is no one like me in the whole world. 15For had I wished, I could have raised my hand against you and your people, and with a similar pestilence wiped you from the face of the earth. 16But this is why I have let you live: that you may witness my power and that my name may be celebrated throughout the earth. 17Are you still set against my people leaving the country? 18Tomorrow at this time I will send very heavy hail such as has never been in Egypt from the day of its foundation. 19So now let all your livestock and all that you have in the fields take shelter, because when the hail falls on all that remains in the fields, whether people or animals, they will die.’” 20Those among Pharaoh’s officials who believed Yahweh’s word hurried to bring their slaves and cattle inside; 21but those who paid no attention to Yahweh’s warning left their slaves and their cattle in the fields.
22Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand towards heaven and let hail fall throughout Egypt on people and animals, and all that grows in the field.” 23Moses stretched out his staff towards heaven and Yahweh sent thunder and hail; lightning struck the earth 24and Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt: lightning flashed in the midst of the hail. It was very heavy hail such as had never been known in all Egypt from the time it had first become a nation.
25Throughout Egypt the hail struck everything in the fields, both people and animals. It beat down everything growing in the fields and felled every tree. 26But where the Israelites lived there was no hail.
27Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Now it is clear I have sinned. Yahweh is in the right; I and my people are in the wrong. 28Pray Yahweh to stop the thunder and hail! I will let you go, and no longer will you stay here.”
29Moses said to him, “As soon as I leave the town I will lift my hands towards Yahweh; the thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, and you will know that the earth is Yahweh’s. 30But as for you and your officials, I know that you don’t yet fear Yahweh, our God.” 31The flax and the barley were ruined, as the barley was almost ripe and the flax was in flower, 32but the wheat and the spelt which are late crops were not destroyed.
33Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and raised his hands towards Yahweh. The thunder and hail ceased and it stopped raining. 34Pharaoh, seeing that there was no rain and that the thunder and hail had ceased, sinned yet again. 35He and his ministers remained unyielding and would not let the Israelites go, just as Yahweh had foretold through Moses.
