16
He called down famine on the land, broke off all their food supply,
17
but sent a man ahead of them -Yosef, who was sold as a slave.
18
They shackled his feet with chains, and they bound him in irons;
19
until the time when his word proved true, God's utterance kept testing him.
20
The king sent and had him released, the ruler of peoples set him free;
21
he made him lord of his household, in charge of all he owned,
22
correcting his officers as he saw fit and teaching his counselors wisdom.
23
Then Isra'el too came into Egypt, Ya'akov lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24
There God made his people very fruitful, made them too numerous for their foes,
25
whose hearts he turned to hate his people, and treat his servants unfairly.
26
He sent his servant Moshe and Aharon, whom he had chosen.
27
They worked his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
28
He sent darkness, and the land grew dark; they did not defy his word.
29
He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die.
30
Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the royal chambers.
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of insects and lice throughout their land.
32
He gave them hail instead of rain, with fiery [lightning] throughout their land.
33
He struck their vines and fig trees, shattering trees all over their country.
34
He spoke, and locusts came, also grasshoppers without number;
35
they ate up everything green in their land, devoured the fruit of their ground. 896
36
He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.