1Kemudian TUHAN berkata kepada Musa, “Pergilah menghadap raja, karena Aku sudah mengeraskan hatinya dan hati para pejabatnya, supaya Aku dapat menunjukkan berbagai keajaiban kepada mereka,2dan supaya kamu dapat menceritakan kepada anak cucumu bagaimana Aku, Allahmu, sudah mempermainkan orang Mesir. Kelak, kamu akan menceritakan semua keajaiban yang sudah Aku tunjukkan kepada mereka. Dengan demikian, kamu semua akan tahu bahwa Akulah TUHAN.”3Maka Musa dan Harun pergi menghadap raja dan berkata kepadanya, “TUHAN, Allah umat Israel, berkata, ‘Sampai kapankah engkau akan menolak tunduk kepada-Ku? Biarkanlah umat-Ku pergi untuk menyembah-Ku.4Apabila engkau tetap menolak, maka besok Aku akan mendatangkan belalang ke negerimu.5Belalang-belalang itu akan menutupi seluruh daratan Mesir sehingga tanah tidak lagi terlihat. Belalang-belalang itu akan memakan sisa tanaman yang tidak rusak karena hujan es dan setiap pohon di ladang.6Rumah-rumahmu dan semua rumah pejabatmu serta rakyat Mesir akan dipenuhi belalang. Orangtua maupun nenek moyang kalian belum pernah melihat bencana seperti ini!’” Sesudah itu, Musa langsung berbalik dan meninggalkan raja.7Para pejabat raja berkata kepadanya, “Baginda, sampai kapankah orang ini akan terus menyusahkan kita? Biarkanlah rakyat itu pergi agar mereka dapat menyembah dewa mereka. Sadarilah, Mesir sudah hancur!”8Kemudian Musa dan Harun dibawa kembali untuk menghadap raja, dan raja berkata kepada mereka, “Pergilah menyembah dewa kalian. Tetapi siapa saja yang akan pergi?”9Jawab Musa, “Kami akan pergi membawa seluruh anggota keluarga kami, semua orang baik tua maupun muda, juga semua ternak kami, karena kami harus mengadakan perayaan bagi TUHAN.”10Tetapi kata raja kepada mereka, “Ha! Kalau begitu hanya mujizat dewamu itu yang bisa membuatku mengizinkan kalian pergi membawa para perempuan dan anak-anak kalian! Aku tahu kalian sedang menyusun rencana jahat!11Tidak bisa! Hanya para laki-laki yang boleh pergi dan menyembah dewamu itu, sesuai permintaan kalian!” Setelah itu Musa dan Harun diusir dari hadapan raja.12Kemudian TUHAN berkata kepada Musa, “Ulurkanlah tanganmu ke atas tanah Mesir, maka belalang-belalang akan datang menutupi seluruh daratan dan memakan setiap tanaman di Mesir yang tidak dirusak oleh hujan es.”13Musa pun mengulurkan tongkatnya ke atas tanah Mesir, dan TUHAN membuat angin timur bertiup di seluruh negeri sepanjang siang dan malam. Keesokan paginya, belalang-belalang sudah datang terbawa oleh angin timur itu.14Belalang-belalang menutupi seluruh permukaan tanah negeri Mesir. Dalam sejarah Mesir, belum pernah terjadi bencana belalang seperti itu, dan untuk selamanya tidak akan pernah terjadi lagi.15Permukaan tanah menjadi gelap karena tertutup oleh banyaknya belalang. Hewan-hewan itu memakan habis semua tanaman dan buah-buahan pada pohon-pohon yang masih bertahan dari hujan es. Tidak ada tumbuhan hijau yang tersisa di seluruh Mesir, baik tanaman maupun pohon.16Raja segera memanggil Musa dan Harun dan berkata kepada mereka “Saya sudah berdosa terhadap ‘Tuhan’ dan terhadap kalian.17Saya mohon sekali ini saja, ampunilah dosa saya dan mintalah kepada dewa kalian itu agar dia menjauhkan hukuman maut ini dari saya.”18Musa meninggalkan raja dan memohon kepada TUHAN.19Maka TUHAN membalikkan arah angin menjadi angin barat yang kencang dan meniup belalang-belalang itu ke Laut Merah. Tidak ada seekor pun yang tertinggal di seluruh Mesir.20Namun, TUHAN mengeraskan hati raja, dan lagi-lagi dia melarang umat Israel pergi.
Bagian: Bencana kesembilan: Gelap gulita
21Lalu TUHAN berkata kepada Musa, “Angkatlah tanganmu ke arah langit, maka kegelapan yang sangat dahsyat akan meliputi seluruh negeri Mesir.”22Musa mengangkat tangannya ke langit dan gelap gulita menyelimuti seluruh Mesir selama tiga hari.23Rakyat Mesir tidak dapat melihat satu sama lain dan tidak dapat pergi kemana-mana selama tiga hari. Tetapi di daerah umat Israel tinggal tidak terjadi kegelapan seperti itu.24Raja memanggil Musa dan berkata, “Pergilah menyembah dewamu. Perempuan-perempuan dan anak-anak kalian boleh ikut, tetapi semua ternak kalian harus ditinggalkan di sini.”25Jawab Musa, “Engkau harus membiarkan kami membawa kurban bakaran agar kami mempersembahkannya kepada TUHAN Allah kami.26Semua ternak harus kami bawa. Kami tidak akan meninggalkan seekor pun karena kami harus mempersembahkan sebagian dari ternak kami kepada TUHAN Allah, dan kami tidak tahu mana yang akan kami persembahkan kepada TUHAN sebelum kami tiba di sana.”27Namun, TUHAN mengeraskan hati raja sehingga dia tidak membiarkan mereka pergi.28Raja berkata kepada Musa, “Pergi kamu! Jangan pernah melihat mukaku lagi! Kalau kamu berani-berani datang, kamu pasti mati!”29Jawab Musa, “Terjadilah sesuai perkataanmu! Saya tidak akan pernah melihat mukamu lagi!”
World English Bible (dengan Deuterokanonika)
1Yahweh said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them;2and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am Yahweh.”3Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.4Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,5and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.6Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.7Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”8Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve Yahweh your God; but who are those who will go?”9Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh.”10He said to them, “Yahweh be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.11Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.12Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.”13Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.14The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again.15For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.16Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God, and against you.17Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to Yahweh your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”18Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to Yahweh.19Yahweh sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.20But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.21Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”22Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.23They didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.24Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve Yahweh. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”25Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.26Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve Yahweh, until we come there.”27But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.28Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”29Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”