Êxodo 9

1 Depois o Senhor disse a Moisés: Vai a Faraó e dize-lhe: Assim diz o Senhor, o Deus dos hebreus: Deixa ir o meu povo, para que me sirva.

2 Porque, se recusares deixá-los ir, e ainda os retiveres,

3 eis que a mão do Senhor será sobre teu gado, que está no campo: sobre os cavalos, sobre os jumentos, sobre os camelos, sobre os bois e sobre as ovelhas; haverá uma pestilência muito grave.

4 Mas o Senhor fará distinção entre o gado de Israel e o gado do Egito; e não morrerá nada de tudo o que pertence aos filhos de Israel.

5 E o Senhor assinalou certo tempo, dizendo: Amanhã fará o Senhor isto na terra.

6 Fez, pois, o Senhor isso no dia seguinte; e todo gado dos egípcios morreu; porém do gado dos filhos de Israel não morreu nenhum.

7 E Faraó mandou ver, e eis que do gado dos israelitas não morrera sequer um. Mas o coração de Faraó se obstinou, e não deixou ir o povo.

8 Então disse o Senhor a Moisés e a Arão: Tomai mancheias de cinza do forno, e Moisés a espalhe para o céu diante dos olhos de Faraó;

9 e ela se tornará em pó fino sobre toda a terra do Egito, e haverá tumores que arrebentarão em úlceras nos homens e no gado, por toda a terra do Egito.

10 E eles tomaram cinza do forno, e apresentaram-se diante de Faraó; e Moisés a espalhou para o céu, e ela se tomou em tumores que arrebentavam em úlceras nos homens e no gado.

11 Os magos não podiam manter-se diante de Moisés, por causa dos tumores; porque havia tumores nos magos, e em todos os egípcios.

12 Mas o Senhor endureceu o coração de Faraó, e este não os ouviu, como o Senhor tinha dito a Moisés.

13 Então disse o Senhor a Moisés: Levanta-te pela manhã cedo, põe-te diante de Faraó, e dize-lhe: Assim diz o Senhor, o Deus dos hebreus: Deixa ir o meu povo, para que me sirva;

14 porque desta vez enviarei todas as a minhas pragas sobre o teu coração, e sobre os teus servos, e sobre o teu povo, para que saibas que não há outro como eu em toda a terra.

15 Agora, por pouco, teria eu estendido a mão e ferido a ti e ao teu povo com pestilência, e tu terias sido destruído da terra;

16 mas, na verdade, para isso te hei mantido com vida, para te mostrar o meu poder, e para que o meu nome seja anunciado em toda a terra.

17 Tu ainda te exaltas contra o meu povo, não o deixando ir?

18 Eis que amanhã, por este tempo, s farei chover saraiva tão grave qual nunca houve no Egito, desde o dia em que foi fundado até agora.

19 Agora, pois, manda recolher o teu gado e tudo o que tens no campo; porque sobre todo homem e animal que se acharem no campo, e não se recolherem � casa, cairá a saraiva, e morrerão.

20 Quem dos servos de Faraó temia a o palavra do Senhor, fez Fugir os seus servos e o seu gado para as casas;

21 mas aquele que não se importava com a palavra do Senhor, deixou os seus servos e o seu gado no campo.

22 Então disse o Senhor a Moisés: Estende a tua mão para o céu, para que caia saraiva em toda a terra do Egito, sobre os homens e sobre os animais, e sobre toda a erva do campo na terra do Egito.

23 E Moisés estendeu a sua vara para o céu, e o Senhor enviou trovões e saraiva, e fogo desceu � terra; e o Senhor fez chover saraiva sobre a terra do Egito.

24 Havia, pois, saraiva misturada com fogo, saraiva tão grave qual nunca houvera em toda a terra do Egito, desde que veio a ser uma nação.

25 E a saraiva feriu, em toda a terra do Egito, tudo quanto havia no campo, tanto homens como animais; feriu também toda erva do campo, e quebrou todas as árvores do campo.

26 Somente na terra de Gósem onde se achavam os filhos de Israel, não houve saraiva.

27 Então Faraó mandou chamar Moisés e e Arão, e disse-lhes: Esta vez pequei; o Senhor é justo, mas eu e o meu povo somos a ímpios.

28 Orai ao Senhor; pois já bastam estes trovões da parte de Deus e esta saraiva; eu vos deixarei ir, e não permanecereis mais, aqui.

29 Respondeu-lhe Moisés: Logo que eu tiver saído da cidade estenderei minhas mãos ao Senhor; os trovões cessarão, e não haverá, mais saraiva, para que saibas que a terra é do Senhor.

30 Todavia, quanto a ti e aos teus servos, eu sei que ainda não temereis diante do Senhor Deus.

31 Ora, o linho e a cevada foram danificados, porque a cevada já estava na espiga, e o linho em flor;

32 mas não foram danificados o trigo e a espelta, porque não estavam crescidos.

33 Saiu, pois, Moisés da cidade, da presença de Faraó, e estendeu as mãos ao Senhor; e cessaram os trovões e a saraiva, e a chuva não caiu mais sobre a terra.

34 Vendo Faraó que a chuva, a saraiva e os trovões tinham cessado, continuou a pecar, e endureceu o seu coração, ele e os seus servos.

35 Assim, o coração de Faraó se endureceu, e não deixou ir os filhos de Israel, como o Senhor tinha dito por Moisés.

Êxodo 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

The murrain of beasts. (1-7) The plague of boils and blains. (8-12) The plague of hail threatened. (13-21) The plague of hail inflicted. (22-35)

Verses 1-7 God will have Israel released, Pharaoh opposes it, and the trial is, whose word shall stand. The hand of the Lord at once is upon the cattle, many of which, some of all kinds, die by a sort of murrain. This was greatly to the loss of the owners; they had made Israel poor, and now God would make them poor. The hand of God is to be seen, even in the sickness and death of cattle; for a sparrow falls not to the ground without our Father. None of the Israelites' cattle should die; the Lord shall sever. The cattle died. The Egyptians worshipped their cattle. What we make an idol of, it is just with God to remove from us. This proud tyrant and cruel oppressor deserved to be made an example by the just Judge of the universe. None who are punished according to what they deserve, can have any just cause to complain. Hardness of heart denotes that state of mind upon which neither threatenings nor promise, neither judgements nor mercies, make any abiding impression. The conscience being stupified, and the heart filled with pride and presumption, they persist in unbelief and disobedience. This state of mind is also called the stony heart. Very different is the heart of flesh, the broken and contrite heart. Sinners have none to blame but themselves, for that pride and ungodliness which abuse the bounty and patience of God. For, however the Lord hardens the hearts of men, it is always as a punishment of former sins.

Verses 8-12 When the Egyptians were not wrought upon by the death of their cattle, God sent a plague that seized their own bodies. If lesser judgments do not work, God will send greater. Sometimes God shows men their sin in their punishment. They had oppressed Israel in the furnaces, and now the ashes of the furnace are made a terror to them. The plague itself was very grievous. The magicians themselves were struck with these boils. Their power was restrained before; but they continued to withstand Moses, and to confirm Pharaoh in his unbelief, till they were forced to give way. Pharaoh continued obstinate. He had hardened his own heart, and now God justly gave him up to his own heart's lusts, permitting Satan to blind and harden him. If men shut their eyes against the light, it is just with God to close their eyes. This is the sorest judgment a man can be under out of hell.

Verses 13-21 Moses is here ordered to deliver a dreadful message to Pharaoh. Providence ordered it, that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit as this Pharaoh to deal with; and every thing made it a most signal instance of the power of God has to humble and bring down the proudest of his enemies. When God's justice threatens ruin, his mercy at the same time shows a way of escape from it. God not only distinguished between Egyptians and Israelites, but between some Egyptians and others. If Pharaoh will not yield, and so prevent the judgment itself, yet those that will take warning, may take shelter. Some believed the things which were spoken, and they feared, and housed their servants and cattle, and it was their wisdom. Even among the servants of Pharaoh, some trembled at God's word; and shall not the sons of Israel dread it? But others believed not, and left their cattle in the field. Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the fairest warnings, and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those that perish upon their own heads.

Verses 22-35 Woful havoc this hail made: it killed both men and cattle; the corn above ground was destroyed, and that only preserved which as yet was not come up. The land of Goshen was preserved. God causes rain or hail on one city and not on another, either in mercy or in judgment. Pharaoh humbled himself to Moses. No man could have spoken better: he owns himself wrong; he owns that the Lord is righteous; and God must be justified when he speaks, though he speaks in thunder and lightning. Yet his heart was hardened all this while. Moses pleads with God: though he had reason to think Pharaoh would repent of his repentance, and he told him so, yet he promises to be his friend. Moses went out of the city, notwithstanding the hail and lightning which kept Pharaoh and his servants within doors. Peace with God makes men thunder-proof. Pharaoh was frightened by the tremendous judgment; but when that was over, his fair promises were forgotten. Those that are not bettered by judgments and mercies, commonly become worse.

Chapter Summary

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.