The Eighth Plague: Locusts
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh — for I myself have made his heart heavy, and the heart of his servants, so that I may set these signs of mine in his midst,
and so that you may tell in the ears of your son and your son’s son how I dealt severely with Egypt, and the signs that I set among them — and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before my face? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
For if you refuse to let my people go, look — tomorrow I am going to bring locusts into your territory.
And they will cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land; and they will eat what is left of the remnant that remains to you from the hail, and eat every tree of yours that grows in the field.
And they will fill your houses, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all Egypt — something your fathers and your fathers’ fathers never saw, from the day they came onto the ground until this day.” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh’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?”
And Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who, exactly, will be going?”
And Moses said, “With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go — for we have the LORD’s festival to keep.”
And he said to them, “May the LORD be with you as surely as I let you and your little ones go! Watch out — evil is right in front of your faces.
Not so! Go, please — the men — and serve the LORD, for that is what you are seeking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land — all that the hail left.”
And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night. The morning came — and the east wind had carried in the locusts.
And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt — very heavy. Before them there had never been such locusts as they, and after them there will never be such again.
And they covered the face of the whole land, and the land was darkened. And they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; and nothing green was left on tree or on plant of the field in all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh hurried to call for Moses and for Aaron, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
And now, forgive my sin, please — just this once — and plead with the LORD your God, that he take away from me only this death.”
And he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.
And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, and it carried off the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.
And the LORD made Pharaoh’s heart strong, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, and let there be darkness over the land of Egypt — a darkness that can be felt.”
And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
No one saw his brother, and no one rose from his place for three days; but for all the sons of Israel there was light in their dwellings.
And Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only your flocks and your herds shall stay behind — even your little ones may go with you.”
And Moses said, “You yourself must also give into our hands sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may offer them to the LORD our God.
And our livestock must also go with us — not a hoof shall be left behind. For from them we must take what we will use to serve the LORD our God, and we ourselves will not know with what we are to serve the LORD until we come there.”
And the LORD made Pharaoh’s heart strong, and he was not willing to let them go.
And Pharaoh said to him, “Go away from me! Watch yourself — do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you shall die.”
And Moses said, “You have spoken rightly. I will never see your face again.”