The Seventh Plague: Hail
22[Day 18] Then YHVH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
23So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and YHVH sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So YHVH rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. 24The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
25Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree. 26The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
27Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “YHVH is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Pray to YHVH, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
29Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to YHVH. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is YHVH’s. 30But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear YHVH our Elohim.”
31(Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;32but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
33Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to YHVH. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
34When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials. 35So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as YHVH had said through Moses.
Exodus 9:22-35
1Then YHVH said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardeneda his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them, 2and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am YHVH.”