Exodus 9:8-35

8 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Take fistfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses throw it into the air right before Pharaoh's eyes;

9 it will become a film of fine dust all over Egypt and cause sores, an eruption of boils on people and animals throughout Egypt."

10 So they took soot from a furnace, stood in front of Pharaoh, and threw it up into the air. It caused boils to erupt on people and animals.

11 The magicians weren't able to compete with Moses this time because of the boils - they were covered with boils just like everyone else in Egypt.

12 God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness. He wouldn't listen, just as God had said to Moses. Strike Seven: Hail

13 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh. Tell him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me.

14 This time I am going to strike you and your servants and your people with the full force of my power so you'll get it into your head that there's no one like me anywhere in all the Earth.

15 You know that by now I could have struck you and your people with deadly disease and there would be nothing left of you, not a trace.

16 But for one reason only I've kept you on your feet: To make you recognize my power so that my reputation spreads in all the Earth.

17 You are still building yourself up at my people's expense. You are not letting them go.

18 So here's what's going to happen: At this time tomorrow I'm sending a terrific hailstorm - there's never been a storm like this in Egypt from the day of its founding until now.

19 So get your livestock under roof - everything exposed in the open fields, people and animals, will die when the hail comes down.'"

20 All of Pharaoh's servants who had respect for God's word got their workers and animals under cover as fast as they could,

21 but those who didn't take God's word seriously left their workers and animals out in the field.

22 God said to Moses: "Stretch your hands to the skies. Signal the hail to fall all over Egypt on people and animals and crops exposed in the fields of Egypt."

23 Moses lifted his staff to the skies and God sent peals of thunder and hail shot through with lightning strikes. God rained hail down on the land of Egypt.

24 The hail came, hail and lightning - a fierce hailstorm. There had been nothing like it in Egypt in its entire history.

25 The hail hit hard all over Egypt. Everything exposed out in the fields, people and animals and crops, was smashed. Even the trees in the fields were shattered.

26 Except for Goshen where the Israelites lived; there was no hail in Goshen.

27 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. He said, "I've sinned for sure this time - God is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong.

28 Pray to God. We've had enough of God's thunder and hail. I'll let you go. The sooner you're out of here the better."

29 Moses said, "As soon as I'm out of the city, I'll stretch out my arms to God. The thunder will stop and the hail end so you'll know that the land is God's land.

30 Still, I know that you and your servants have no respect for God."

31 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for they were just ripening,

32 but the wheat and spelt weren't hurt - they ripen later.)

33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city and stretched out his arms to God. The thunder and hail stopped; the storm cleared.

34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he kept right on sinning, stubborn as ever, both he and his servants.

35 Pharaoh's heart turned rock-hard. He refused to release the Israelites, as God had ordered through Moses.

Exodus 9:8-35 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 9

This chapter relates the plague of murrain upon the cattle, and which yet was not upon the cattle of the Israelites, Ex 9:1-7 and the plague of boils and blains on man and beast, Ex 9:8-11 and Pharaoh's heart being hardened, Moses is sent to him with a message from the Lord, threatening him that all his plagues should come upon him, and particularly the pestilence, if he would not let Israel go; and signifying, that to show his power in him, and declare his name throughout the earth, had he raised him up, and a kind of amazement is expressed at his obstinacy and pride, Ex 9:12-17, and he is told that a terrible storm of hail should fall upon the land, and destroy all in the field; wherefore those that regarded the word of the Lord got their cattle within doors, but those that did not took no care of them, Ex 9:18-21 and upon Moses's stretching out his hand, when ordered by the Lord, the storm began, and destroyed every thing in the field throughout the land, excepting the land of Goshen, Ex 9:22-26 upon which Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, acknowledged his sin, and the justice of God, begged they would entreat for him, which Moses did; but when the storm was over, Pharaoh's heart was still more hardened, and he refused to let the people go, Ex 9:27-35.