Exodus 9; Exodus 10; Exodus 11; Matthew 15:21-39

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Go to Pharaoh. Tell him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, "Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

2 Do not refuse to let them go. Do not keep holding them back.

3 " ' "If you refuse, my powerful hand will bring a terrible plague on you. I will strike your livestock in the fields. I will strike your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats.

4 But I will treat Israel's livestock differently from yours. No animal that belongs to the people of Israel will die." ' "

5 The LORD set a time for the plague. He said, "Tomorrow I will send it on the land."

6 So the next day the LORD sent it. All of the livestock of the Egyptians died. But not one animal that belonged to the Israelites died.

7 Pharaoh sent people to find out what had happened. They discovered that not even one animal that belonged to the Israelites had died. But his heart was still very stubborn. He wouldn't let the people go.

8 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, "Take handfuls of ashes from a furnace. Have Moses toss them into the air in front of Pharaoh.

9 The ashes will turn into fine dust all over the whole land of Egypt. Then boils will break out on people and animals all over the land. Their bodies will be covered with them."

10 So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a furnace and stood in front of Pharaoh. Moses tossed them into the air. Then boils broke out on people and animals alike.

11 The bodies of all of the Egyptians were covered with boils. The magicians couldn't stand in front of Moses because of the boils that were all over them.

12 But the LORD made Pharaoh's heart stubborn. Pharaoh wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.

13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Get up early in the morning. Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, "Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

14 " ' "If you do not let them go, I will send the full force of my plagues against you this time. They will strike your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in the whole earth.

15 " ' "By now I could have reached out my hand. I could have struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.

16 But I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to show you my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth.

17 " ' "But you are still against my people. You will not let them go.

18 So at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm ever to fall on Egypt in its entire history.

19 " ' "Give an order now to bring your livestock inside to a safe place. Bring in everything that is outside. The hail will fall on all of the people and animals that are left outside. They will die." ' "

20 The officials of Pharaoh who had respect for what the LORD had said obeyed him. They hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.

21 But others didn't pay attention to what the LORD had said. They left their slaves and livestock outside.

22 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Reach your hand out toward the sky. Then hail will fall all over Egypt. It will beat down on people and animals alike. It will strike everything that is growing in the fields of Egypt."

23 Moses reached his wooden staff out toward the sky. Then the LORD sent thunder and hail. Lightning flashed down to the ground. The LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.

24 Hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in Egypt's entire history.

25 All over Egypt hail struck everything in the fields. It fell on people and animals alike. It beat down everything that was growing in the fields. It tore all of the leaves off the trees.

26 The only place it didn't hail was in the area of Goshen. That's where the people of Israel were.

27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "This time I've sinned," he said to them. "The LORD has done what is right. I and my people have done what is wrong.

28 Pray to the Lord, because we've had enough thunder and hail. I'll let you and your people go. You don't have to stay here any longer."

29 Moses replied, "When I've left the city, I'll lift up my hands and pray to the Lord. The thunder will stop. There won't be any more hail. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord.

30 But I know that you and your officials still don't have any respect for the LORD God."

31 The barley was ripe. The flax was blooming. So they were both destroyed.

32 But the wheat and spelt weren't destroyed. That's because they ripen later.

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He lifted up his hands and prayed to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped. The rain didn't pour down on the land any longer.

34 Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail and thunder had stopped. So he sinned again. He and his officials made their hearts stubborn.

35 So Pharaoh's heart was stubborn. He wouldn't let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. I have made his heart stubborn. I have also made the hearts of his officials stubborn so I can do my miraculous signs among them.

2 Then you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren how hard I was on the Egyptians. You can tell them I did great miracles among the people of Egypt. And all of you will know that I am the Lord."

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long will you refuse to obey me? Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

4 " 'If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow.

5 They will cover the ground so that it can't be seen. They will eat what little you have left after the hail. That includes every tree that is growing in your fields.

6 They will fill your houses. They will be in the homes of all of your officials and your people. Your parents and your people before them have never seen anything like it as long as they have lived here.' " Then Moses turned around and left Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a trap for us? Let the people go. Then they'll be able to worship the LORD their God. After everything that's happened, don't you realize that Egypt is destroyed?"

8 Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "Go. Worship the LORD your God," he said. "But just who will be going?"

9 Moses answered, "We'll go with our young people and old people. We'll go with our sons and daughters. We'll take our flocks and herds. We are supposed to hold a feast in the LORD's honor."

10 Pharaoh said, "The LORD will really be with all of you if I ever let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are planning to do something bad.

11 No! I'll only allow the men to go. Then all of you can worship the Lord. After all, that's what you have been asking for." Then Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight.

12 The LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand over Egypt. Locusts will cover the land. They will eat up everything that is growing in the fields. They will eat up everything that was left by the hail."

13 So Moses reached his wooden staff out over Egypt. Then the LORD made an east wind blow across the land. It blew all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts.

14 They came into every part of Egypt. They settled down in every area of the country in large numbers. There had never been a plague of locusts like it before. And there will never be one like it again.

15 The locusts covered the ground until it was black. They ate up everything that was left after the hail. They ate up everything that was growing in the fields. They ate up the fruit on the trees. There was nothing green left on any tree or plant in the whole land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. He said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God. I've also sinned against you.

17 Now forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me."

18 After Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the Lord.

19 The LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind. The wind picked up the locusts. It blew them into the Red Sea. Not even one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.

20 But the LORD made Pharaoh's heart stubborn. And Pharaoh wouldn't let the people of Israel go.

21 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Reach out your hand toward the sky. Darkness will spread over Egypt. It will be so dark that people can feel it."

22 So Moses reached out his hand toward the sky. Then complete darkness covered Egypt for three days.

23 No one could see anyone else or go anywhere for three days. But all of the people of Israel had light where they lived.

24 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses. He said to him, "Go. Worship the Lord. Even your women and children can go with you. Just leave your flocks and herds behind."

25 But Moses said, "You must allow us to take animals to offer as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God.

26 Our livestock must also go with us. We have to use some of them to worship the LORD our God. We can't leave even one animal behind. Until we get there, we won't know what we are supposed to use to worship the Lord."

27 But the LORD made Pharaoh's heart stubborn. So he wouldn't let the people go.

28 Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you don't come to see me again! If you do, you will die."

29 "I'll do just as you say," Moses replied. "I will never come to see you again."

1 The LORD had spoken to Moses. He had said, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you and your people go. When he does, he will drive you completely away.

2 Tell the men and women alike to ask their neighbors for articles made out of silver and gold."

3 The LORD caused the Egyptians to treat the Israelites in a kind way. Pharaoh's officials and the people had great respect for Moses.

4 Moses said, "The LORD says, 'About midnight I will go through every part of Egypt.

5 Every oldest son in Egypt will die. The oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, will die. The oldest son of the female slave, who works at her hand mill, will die. All of the male animals that were born first to their mothers among the cattle will also die.

6 There will be loud crying all over Egypt. It will be worse than it's ever been before. And nothing like it will ever be heard again.

7 " 'But among the people of Israel not even one dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that the LORD treats Egypt differently from us.

8 "All of your officials will come and bow down to me. They will say, 'Go, you and all of the people who follow you!' After that, I will leave." Moses burned with anger when he left Pharaoh.

9 The LORD had spoken to Moses. He had said, "Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will multiply my miracles in Egypt."

10 Moses and Aaron did all of those miracles in the sight of Pharaoh. But the LORD made Pharaoh's heart stubborn. He wouldn't let the people of Israel go out of his country.

21 Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon.

22 A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, "Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly."

23 Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, "Send her away. She keeps crying out after us."

24 Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep."

25 Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. "Lord! Help me!" she said.

26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to their dogs."

27 "Yes, Lord," she said. "But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owners' table."

28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! You will be given what you are asking for." And her daughter was healed at that very moment.

29 Jesus left there. He walked along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

30 Large crowds came to him. They brought blind people and those who could not walk. They also brought disabled people, those who could not speak, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them.

31 The people were amazed. Those who could not speak were speaking. The disabled were made well. Those not able to walk were walking. Those who were blind could see. So the people praised the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called for his disciples to come to him. He said, "I feel deep concern for these people. They have already been with me three days. They don't have anything to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. If I do, they will become too weak on their way home."

33 His disciples answered him. "There is nothing here," they said. "Where could we get enough bread to feed this large crowd?"

34 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."

35 Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground.

36 He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks. Then he broke them and gave them to the disciples. And the disciples passed them out to the people.

37 All of them ate and were satisfied. After that, the disciples picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces.

38 The number of men who ate was 4,000. Women and children also ate.

39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat. He went to the area near Magadan.