Exodus 10
Open in the reader1Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
2and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Two-Straitsians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am He-Who-Is.”
3So Drawn-Out and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what He-Who-Is, the God of the Crosser, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
4But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.
6They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Two-Straitsian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
7Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship He-Who-Is their God. Do you not yet realize that Two-Straits lies in ruins?”
8So Drawn-Out and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship He-Who-Is your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
9“We will go with our young and old,” Drawn-Out replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to He-Who-Is.”
10Then Pharaoh told them, “May He-Who-Is be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.
11No, only the men may go and worship He-Who-Is, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
12Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Two-Straits, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.”
13So Drawn-Out stretched out his staff over the land of Two-Straits, and throughout that day and night He-Who-Is sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.
14The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Two-Straits. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be.
15They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Two-Straits.
16Pharaoh quickly summoned Drawn-Out and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against He-Who-Is your God and against you.
17Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to He-Who-Is your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
18So Drawn-Out left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to He-Who-Is.
19And He-Who-Is changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Reed Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Two-Straits.
20But He-Who-Is hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the children of Strives-with-God go.
21Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Two-Straits—a palpable darkness.”
22So Drawn-Out stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Two-Straits for three days.
23No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the children of Strives-with-God had light in their dwellings.
24Then Pharaoh summoned Drawn-Out and said, “Go, worship He-Who-Is. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25But Drawn-Out replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to He-Who-Is our God.
26Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship He-Who-Is our God, and we will not know how we are to worship He-Who-Is until we arrive.”
27But He-Who-Is hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.
28“Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Drawn-Out. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
29“As you say,” Drawn-Out replied, “I will never see your face again.”