Exodus 9
God plagues Egypt with livestock disease
Then the Existing One told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him that the Existing One, the Hebrews’ God says,
“Release my people so they can serve me. If you refuse to release them and continue holding them, then the Existing One’s hand will fall on your livestock with a heavy disease. It will affect your horses, donkeys, camels, cows, sheep, and goats. But the Existing One will make a distinction between Israel’s livestock and Egypt’s livestock so that none of Israel’s animals will die.”
The Existing One scheduled an appointed time saying,
“The Existing One will do this tomorrow all throughout the country.”
So that’s what the Existing One did: all of Egypt’s livestock died, while none of Israel’s died. Pharaoh sent people to check, and sure enough, not a single one of Israel’s animals had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t release the people.
God plagues Egypt with boils
Then the Existing One told Moses and Aaron,
“Grab a few handfuls of soot from a kiln and throw it in the sky while Pharaoh’s watching. It will become fine dust that covers the ground all throughout Egypt, and it will cause blisters and boils to break out on the people and animals all throughout the country of Egypt.”
So they took soot from a kiln, stood in front of Pharaoh, and then Moses threw it in the sky, and it became blisters and boils that broke out on the people and animals. The mages were unable to even stand in front of Moses because they were covered with boils like the rest of the Egyptians. But Pharaoh didn’t listen to them because the Existing One stiffened his heart, just like the Existing One had said.
God plagues Egypt with hail
Then the Existing One told Moses to get up early in the morning, visit Pharaoh, and tell him that the Existing One, the Hebrews’ God, says,
“Release my people so they can serve me. This time I’ll send all my afflictions on you, your servants, and your people so that you’ll know there’s nothing else like me in the entire world. If I would have fully unleashed my hand and struck you and your people with disease, you would have been wiped off the face of the earth by now. But I left you standing to show you my strength and to demonstrate my reputation throughout the entire earth. Yet you continue to elevate yourself over my people by refusing to unleash them.
“So around this time tomorrow, I’ll send a heavy hailstorm that’s more intense than Egypt has ever seen since the day it was founded until now. You should go shelter your livestock and bring whatever you have in the field to safety. When the hail falls, every person and animal left outside will die.”
Pharaoh’s servants who were afraid of the Existing One’s words made their workers and livestock run inside, while Pharaoh’s servants who disregarded the Existing One’s words left their workers and livestock in the fields.
Then the Existing One told Moses,
“Lift your hand toward the sky so that hail will rain down on the country of Egypt—on all the people, animals, and crops throughout the country of Egypt.”
So Moses raised his staff toward the sky, and the Existing One sent commotion and hail as fire flew down to the earth. The Existing One rained hail down on the country of Egypt. Fire flashed continually as it hailed in Egypt more intensely than ever before since the day it became a nation. The hail struck everything in the fields all throughout the country—both the people and the animals. The hail also struck all the crops and wrecked the trees that were in the fields. The region of Goshen (where Israel’s descendants lived) was the only place that it didn’t hail.
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them,
“I’ve messed up this time. The Existing One is in the right, and my people and I are guilty. Plead to the Existing One, because there has been enough of God’s hail and commotion. I’ll release you and won’t keep you here any longer.”
Moses told him,
“As soon as I leave the city, I’ll stretch out my hands to the Existing One, and the commotion and hail will stop so that you might know that the earth is the Existing One’s. But I know that you and your servants still aren’t afraid of the God the Existing One yet.”
(The flax and barley crops were ruined because they were in season, but the wheat and spelt survived because they ripen later.)
So Moses left Pharaoh’s city and stretched out his hands to the Existing One, and then the commotion, hail, and rain all stopped. But when Pharaoh saw that that everything stopped, he and his servants messed up again and stiffened their hearts. In his stiffness of heart, Pharaoh didn’t release Israel’s descendants, just like the Existing One had said through Moses.