Moses told Pharaoh, “When I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer to the Lord. And the thunder and hail will stop. Then you will know that the Lord is in this land.
Then Solomon stood in front of the Lord’s altar. [113] All of the people were standing in front of him. King Solomon spread his hands and looked toward the sky.
Then, when it was time for the evening sacrifice, I got up. I had made myself look shameful while I was sitting there. My robe and coat were torn, and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God.
So now I tell you to obey my commands. Keep my Agreement. If you do this, then you will be my own special people. The whole world belongs to me. But I am choosing you to be my own special people.
Why? Because the Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, God rested. In this way, the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. The Lord made that a very special day.
But I will not treat the people of Israel the same as the Egyptian people. There will not be any flies in Goshen, where my people live. In this way you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.
Moses left Pharaoh and went outside the city. He lifted his arms in prayer to the Lord. And the thunder and hail stopped, and then even the rain stopped.
“You people will raise your arms to pray to me—but I will refuse to look at you. You people will say more and more prayers—but I will refuse to listen to you. Why? Because your hands are covered with blood.
But if a person tells you, “That food was offered to idols, {\cf2\super [77]} ” then don’t eat it. Why? Because some people think it is wrong, and it might cause a problem for the person who told you that.
“Everything belongs to the Lord your God. The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the Lord. The earth and everything on it belong to the Lord your God.