Day 30 of 730

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.

²For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,

³behold, the hand of the Lord is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence.

⁴The Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children of Israel."'"

⁵The Lord appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land."

⁶The Lord did that thing on the next day; and all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.

⁷Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.

⁸The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, "Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

⁹It shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with boils on man and on animal, throughout all the land of Egypt."

¹⁰They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky; and it became a boil breaking forth with boils on man and on animal.

¹¹The magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians, and on all the Egyptians.

¹²The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

¹³The Lord said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.

¹⁴For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.

¹⁵For now I would have put forth my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth;

¹⁶but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth;

¹⁷as you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won't let them go.

¹⁸Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.

¹⁹Now therefore command that all of your livestock and all that you have in the field be brought into shelter. Every man and animal that is found in the field, and isn't brought home, the hail shall come down on them, and they shall die."'"

²⁰Those who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses.

²¹Whoever did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²²The Lord said to Moses, "Stretch forth your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."

²³Moses stretched forth his rod toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder, hail, and lightning flashed down to the earth. The Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

²⁴So there was very severe hail, and lightning mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

²⁵The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; 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.

²⁷Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

²⁸Pray to the Lord; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings 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 spread abroad my hands to the Lord. The thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; 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."

³¹The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.

³²But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they had not grown up.

³³Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to the Lord; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

³⁴When 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.

³⁵The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

¹The Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them,

²and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son's son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the Lord."

³Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.

⁴Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,

⁵and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won't be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.

⁶Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.'" He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord, their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"

⁸Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the Lord your God; but who are those who will go?"

⁹Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast to the Lord."

¹⁰He said to them, "The Lord be with you if I will let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.

¹¹Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve the Lord; for that is what you desire!" They were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

¹²The Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left."

¹³Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

¹⁴The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

¹⁵For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was destroyed,and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

¹⁷Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the Lord your God, that he may also take away from me this death."

¹⁸He went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the Lord.

¹⁹The Lord turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.

²⁰But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

²¹The Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt."

²²Moses stretched forth his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

²³They did not see one another, neither did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the Lord. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you."

²⁵Moses said, "You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

²⁶Our livestock also shall go with us. There shall not a hoof be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the Lord our God; and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord, until we come there."

²⁷But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he wouldn't let them go.

²⁸Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!"

²⁹Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more."

¹I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

²Lord my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.

³Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴Sing praise to the Lord, you holy ones of his. Give thanks to his holy name.

⁵For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

⁷You, Lord, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

⁸I cried to you, Lord. To the Lord I made supplication:

⁹"What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?

¹⁰Hear, Lord, and have mercy on me. Lord, be my helper."

¹¹You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

¹²To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²"Surely I am the most ignorant man, and do not have a man's understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

⁵"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

⁷"Two things I have asked of you; do not deny me before I die:

⁸Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

⁹lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰"Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵"The leach has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that do not say, 'Enough:'

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb; the earth that is not satisfied with water; and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough.'

¹⁷"The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸"There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.

²⁰"So is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'

²¹"For three things the earth tremble, and under four, it can't bear up:

²²For a servant when he is king; a fool when he is filled with food;

²³for an unloved woman when she is married; and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.

²⁴"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer.

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.

²⁸You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹"There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going:

³⁰The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any;

³¹the greyhound, the male goat also; and the king against whom there is no rising up.

³²"If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."