1. Then the lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them.
2. I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the lord.”
3. So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me.
4. If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country.
5. They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields.
6. They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7. Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8. So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”
9. Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the lord.”
10. Pharaoh retorted, “The lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan.
11. Never! Only the men may go and worship the lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.