Now the Lord continued telling Moses, “Go to the king. I have hardened your heart on you and your officials, that I may perform miracles so that your descendants shall know that I am the Lord.” Moses and Aaron went to the king, and said to him, “If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. They will completely cover the ground. They will eat anything that the hail didn’t destroy, even the trees that are left. They will fill your palaces, officials and all people’s houses.” The king asked them, “Go, worship the Lord your God. But who will go?” Moses answered, “We will all go including our flocks and herds, sons and daughters, and young and old people to hold a festival to honor the Lord.” The king said, “I swear by the Lord that I will never let you take the women and children! Only the men shall go and worship the Lord, if that is what you want.”
Then the Lord told Moses to extend his rod out so that the wind and locusts would come up over the land of Egypt until morning, so he did. The locusts rested on all the territory of Egypt when the whole land was covered, and the locusts were severe. They ate everything that the hail left. Nothing green was left on the trees or plants in Egypt. The king said to Moses and Aaron, “I have sinned against the Lord and you. Please forgive my sin one time and take away this punishment from me.” The Lord had turned a strong west wind, which the locusts had thrown and blew out into the Gulf of Suez. Not one locust was left in all of Egypt, but the Lord hardened the heart of the king, and he didn’t let the Israelites go.
The Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand toward the sky, and darkness will be thick to cover all the land of Egypt.” Moses did so and darkness covered throughout Egypt for three days. The Egyptians couldn’t see each other, but the Israelites had light where they were living. The king told Moses, “You may go with all people to worship the Lord, but your flocks and herds will stay here.” Moses said, “You would have to provide us with animals to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. No, we will take all our animals with us because we will not know which animals to sacrifice before we get there.” The Lord made the king stubborn and would not let them go. The king said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Don’t let me see you again! When I see you, you will die on that day.” Moses said, “You’re right. You will never see me again.”