1. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go and see the king. I have made him and his officials stubborn, in order that I may perform these miracles among them
2. and in order that you may be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I made fools of the Egyptians when I performed the miracles. All of you will know that I am the Lord.”
3. So Moses and Aaron went to the king and said to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says ‘How much longer will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
4. If you keep on refusing, then I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow.
5. There will be so many that they will completely cover the ground. They will eat everything that the hail did not destroy, even the trees that are left.
6. They will fill your palaces and the houses of all your officials and all your people. They will be worse than anything your ancestors ever saw.’ ” Then Moses turned and left.
7. The king's officials said to him, “How long is this man going to give us trouble? Let the Israelite men go, so that they can worship the Lord their God. Don't you realize that Egypt is ruined?”
8. So Moses and Aaron were brought back to the king, and he said to them, “You may go and worship the Lord your God. But exactly who will go?”
9. Moses answered, “We will all go, including our children and our old people. We will take our sons and daughters, our sheep and goats, and our cattle, because we must hold a festival to honour the Lord.”
10. The king said, “I swear by the Lord that I will never let you take your women and children! It is clear that you are plotting to revolt.
11. No! Only the men may go and worship the Lord if that is what you want.” With that, Moses and Aaron were driven out of the king's presence.
12. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring the locusts. They will come and eat everything that grows, everything that has survived the hail.”