Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand into Egypt and bring the military divisions of my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgement.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said, ‘What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.’
The Lord instructed Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart , so that he won’t let the people go.
and people were scorched by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.
What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes.
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Appeal to the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go and they can sacrifice to the Lord.’
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will become gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’
‘As soon as I leave you,’ Moses said, ‘I will appeal to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceptively again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
They replied, ‘If you send the ark of Israel’s God away, do not send it without an offering. Send back a guilt offering to him, and you will be healed. Then the reason his hand hasn’t been removed from you will be revealed.’
Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland towards Beth-shemesh, it is the Lord who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not his hand that punished us #– #it was only something that happened to us by chance.’
The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on that one road, lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.