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.