LET'S READ SCRIPTURE

  The Plague on the Firstborn 1 Now the  Lord  had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.  2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”  3 (The  Lord  made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.) 4 So Moses said, “This is what the  Lord  says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.  5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.  6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.  7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at an...

  The Plague of Darkness 21 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.”  22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.  23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the  Lord . Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the  Lord  our God.  26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the  Lord  our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the  Lord .” 27 But the  Lord  hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was ...

  The Plague of Hail 13 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the  Lord , the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,  14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.  15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.  16 But I have raised you up  for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.  17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go.  18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.  19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you...

  The Plague on Livestock 1 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the  Lord , the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”  2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,  3 the hand of the  Lord  will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats.  4 But the  Lord  will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die. ’ ” 5 The  Lord  set a time and said, “Tomorrow the  Lord  will do this in the land.”  6 And the next day the  Lord  did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.  7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyieldi...

  The Plague of Flies 20 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the  Lord  says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.  21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. 22 “  ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the  Lord , am in this land.   23 I will make a distinction  between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’ ” 24 And the  Lord  did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and...

  Moses and Aaron Before Pharoah 1 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.  2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.  3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt,  4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.   5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the  Lord  when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. ” 6 Moses and Aaron did just as the  Lord  commanded them.  7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh. 8 The  Lord  said to Moses and Aaron,  9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff an...

God Promises Deliverance 1 Then the  Lord  said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” 2 God also said to Moses, “I am the  Lord .  3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,  but by my name the  Lord  I did not make myself fully known to them.  4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.  5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the  Lord , and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you w...