1 Jehovah told Moses: »Go back to the king. I have made him and his officials stubborn, so that I could work these signs.

2 »I did this because I want you to tell your children and your grandchildren about the mighty things and the signs I have done in Egypt. Then all of you will know that I am Jehovah.«

3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him: »Thus says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.

4 »‘If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5 »‘They shall cover the surface of the land. No one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has escaped and is left to you from the hail. They will eat every tree that sprouts for you out of the field.

6 »‘Your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians. This is something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day. He turned and went out from Pharaoh.’«

7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him: »How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go so that they may serve Jehovah their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?«

8 Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. He said to them: »Go! Serve Jehovah your God. Who are the ones that shall go?«

9 Moses said: »We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters. We will go with our flocks and with our herds. We must hold a feast to Jehovah.«

10 He said to them: »May Jehovah be with you, as I send you and your little ones away. Watch out for evil is before you.

11 »Not so! You men go now and serve Jehovah. It is you who desired it.« So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12 Jehovah said to Moses: »Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts. Let them come up upon the land of Egypt and eat every herb of the land, all that the hail has left.«

13 Moses held his staff over the land of Egypt. Jehovah made a wind from the east blow over the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.

14 They invaded all of Egypt and landed all over the country in great swarms. Never before had there been so many locusts, nor would there ever be that many again.

15 They covered all the ground until it was black with them. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly called for Moses and Aaron and said: »I have sinned against Jehovah your God and against you.

17 »Please forgive my sin one more time. Pray to Jehovah your God to take this deadly plague away from me.«

18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Jehovah.

19 Jehovah changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.

20 But Jehovah made the king stubborn. He did not let the Israelites go.

21 Jehovah then said to Moses: »Raise your hand toward the sky. Darkness thick enough to be felt will cover the land of Egypt.«

22 Moses raised his hand toward the sky. Total darkness fell throughout Egypt for three days.

23 The Egyptians could not see each other. No one left his house during that time. The Israelites, however, had light where they were living.

24 The king called Moses. He said: »You may go and worship Jehovah. Even your women and children may go with you. But your sheep, goats, and cattle must stay here.«

25 Moses answered: »Then you would have to provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to Jehovah our God.

26 »No, we will take our animals with us! Not one will be left behind. We must select the animals with which to worship Jehovah our God. We will not know what animals to sacrifice to him until we get there.«

27 Jehovah made the king stubborn. He would not let them go.

28 He said to Moses: »Get out of my sight! Do not let me ever see you again! On the day I do, you will die!«

29 »You have spoken it!« Moses answered. »You will never see me again.«