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Exodus chapter 9

English Standard Version

1Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die."’" 5And the Lord set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land." 6And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 7And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt." 10So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
13Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them."’" 20Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.
22Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt." 23Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.
27Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God 's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." 29Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord 's. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God." 31(The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) 33So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
New International Version

1Then 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." 2If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3the 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. 4But 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.’ "
5The Lord set a time and said, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land." 6And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land."
10So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.
13Then 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, 14or 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. 15For 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. 16But 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. 17You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. 19Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’ "
20Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.
22Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt." 23When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
27Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer."
29Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God."
31(The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
33Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.
New American Standard Bible

1Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: 'Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, 3behold, the hand of the Lord will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. 4But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.'?’?' 5And the Lord set a definite time, saying, 'Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.' 6So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. 7And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.' 10So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. 11The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
13Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: 'Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 14For this time I am going to send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth. 16But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth. 17Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go.
18Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19So now, send word, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.'?’?' 20Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; 21but everyone who did not pay regard to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22Now the Lord said to Moses, 'Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.' 23So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
27Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, 'I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.' 29Moses said to him, 'As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’S. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.' 31(Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.) 33So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the Lord; and the thunder and the hail stopped, and rain no longer poured on the earth. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had stopped, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
Christian Standard Bible

1Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in 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. 2But if you refuse to let them go and keep holding them, 3then the Lord’s hand will bring a severe plague against your livestock in the field—the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. 4But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die." 5And the Lord set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land." 6The Lord did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, but none among the Israelite livestock died. 7Pharaoh sent messengers who saw that not a single one of the Israelite livestock was dead. But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not let the people go.
8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses is to throw it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt. It will become festering boils on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt." 10So they took furnace soot and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it toward heaven, and it became festering boils on people and animals. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had told Moses.
13Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 14For this time I am about to send all my plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like me on the whole earth. 15By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. 16However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth. 17You are still acting arrogantly against my people by not letting them go. 18Tomorrow at this time I will rain down the worst hail that has ever occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19Therefore give orders to bring your livestock and all that you have in the field into shelters. Every person and animal that is in the field and not brought inside will die when the hail falls on them." 20Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the Lord made their servants and livestock flee to shelters, 21but those who didn’t take to heart the Lord’s word left their servants and livestock in the field.
22Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be hail throughout the land of Egypt—on people and animals and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt." 23So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the land, and the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24The hail, with lightning flashing through it, was so severe that nothing like it had occurred in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both people and animals. The hail beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree in the field. 26The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
27Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "I have sinned this time," he said to them. "The Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the guilty ones. 28Make an appeal to the Lord. There has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer."
29Moses said to him, "When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know the earth belongs to the Lord. 30But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the Lord God."
31The flax and the barley were destroyed because the barley was ripe and the flax was budding, 32but the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed since they are later crops.
33Moses left Pharaoh and the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail ceased, and rain no longer poured down on the land. 34When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his officials. 35So Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not let the Israelites go, as the Lord had said through Moses.
New Living Translation

1Go back to Pharaoh,' the Lord commanded Moses. 'Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 2If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, 3the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock — your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats — with a deadly plague. 4But the Lord will again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals will die! 5The Lord has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.’'
6And the Lord did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal. 7Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he still refused to let the people go.
8Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. 9The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.'
10So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike. 11Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.
13Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 14If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. 16But I have spared you for a purpose — to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. 17But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go. 18So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. 19Quick! Order your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail falls.’'
20Some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid because of what the Lord had said. They quickly brought their servants and livestock in from the fields. 21But those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.
22Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.'
23So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. 24Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning. 25It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field — people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. 26The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.
27Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. 'This time I have sinned,' he confessed. 'The Lord is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong. 28Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.'
29All right,' Moses replied. 'As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.'
31(All the flax and barley were ruined by the hail, because the barley had formed heads and the flax was budding. 32But the wheat and the emmer wheat were spared, because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.)
33So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and went out of the city. When he lifted his hands to the Lord, the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn. 35Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.
King James Version

1Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.
5And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. 6And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. 7And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. 8And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 10And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.
11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses. 13And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. 17As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? 18Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 19Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
20He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 21And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.
22And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 23And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
27And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.
29And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord'S. 30But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God.
31And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. 32But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.
33And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the Lord: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
New King James Version

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. 4And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ” 5Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”
6So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
8So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
13Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, 14for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”
20He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; 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.
27And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
29So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”
31Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.
33So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

What does Exodus chapter 9 mean?

God has sent four plagues to convince Egypt to release their Hebrew slaves (Exodus 7:21; 8:6, 17, 24). Egypt's king, the pharaoh, has repeatedly refused (Exodus 5:2; 7:14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32). In this chapter, the Lord will bring three more catastrophes. This will lead Pharaoh to make one final, fateful choice to defy God. After repeatedly defying the Lord (Exodus 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34), he will run out of time to submit (Proverbs 29:1). For the rest of his part in this story, Pharaoh is overtly prevented from repenting (Exodus 4:21), becoming a horrific example of God's judgment against sin (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10).

The fifth plague kills Egyptian livestock. Pharaoh refuses to release the Hebrews, so God sends a pestilence that virtually erases the Egyptian flocks. This probably killed "all of" the animals in the same sense that Joseph sold food to "all the people" (Genesis 42:6) and "all the people" of a region asked a man to leave (Luke 8:37). It implies most, or nearly all, without necessarily meaning literally 100%. There will be some Egyptian livestock left to suffer future plagues (Exodus 9:9, 19–21). While the Egyptians lose "all" their animals, nothing happens to the Hebrew flocks. This language is more specific, indicating that not a single animal—literally, not one—of the Israelite flocks is harmed. Pharaoh again refuses to repent (Exodus 9:1–7).

The sixth plague creates debilitating, painful sores, boils, and skin lesions. This is the first plague after which God is said to actively interfere with Pharaoh's free will. The Lord makes the Egyptian king stubborn (Exodus 4:21), setting up the next disaster. There, for the final time, Pharaoh will be offered a choice (Exodus 9:8–12).

Moses delivers a dire warning about the next divine judgment. The Lord has punished Egypt, but not to the point of complete obliteration. He has mercifully offered them chances to turn to Him. Since they have not changed, God's power will be displayed through further plagues (Exodus 9:13–17).

This leads to a warning that the Lord will send a hailstorm more terrible than anything the nation has ever seen. Those who have seen God's previous power should respond by bringing people and animals under shelter. Anything left in the open will die. Some of the Egyptians who hear this warning pay attention and bring their resources inside. Others ignore the prediction (Exodus 9:18–21).

When the hail comes, it is a very literal "storm." There is "fire" in the form of lightning that mixes with brutal hail and cuts down every living thing outdoors. When hailstones are large, they can become dangerous or even instantly lethal. This hail is so large, so dense, and in such an intense storm that plants outside are torn apart. God further emphasizes that this is supernatural judgment by keeping the hail entirely away from the Israelites, all of whom live in Goshen (Exodus 9:22–26).

Pharaoh then calls for Moses and Aaron; the ruler admits his own error and begs for mercy. Moses needs no divine revelation to know that Pharaoh is insincere. Moses keeps his word and appeals for the hailstorm to end. As soon as the danger has passed, Pharaoh once again breaks his promise and refuses to release the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 9:27–35).

This will set up the nation of Egypt to experience three more plagues: locusts (Exodus 10:14–15), darkness (Exodus 10:22–23), and the death of all firstborns (Exodus 12:29–30).
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