القراءة بلغتين

وقالَ الرَّبُّ لِموسى: «أُدخُلْ على فِرعَون، فإِنِّي قد ثَقَّلتُ قَلبَه وقُلوبَ حاشِيَتِه، لِكَي أَصنَعَ آياتي هٰذه بَينَهم

ولِكَي تَقُصَّ على مِسمَعِ ٱبنِكَ وٱبنِ ٱبنِكَ كَيفَ سَخِرتُ بِالمِصرِيِّين وأَيَّ آياتٍ صَنَعتُ بَينَهم، ولِكَي تَعلَموا أَنِّي أنا الرَّبّ»

فذَهَبَ موسى وهارونُ إِلى فِرعَونَ وقالا لَه: «كَذا قالَ الرَّبُّ، إِلٰهُ العِبرانِيِّين: إِلى متى تأبى أَن تَتَواضَعَ أَمامي؟ أَطلِقْ شَعْبي لِيَعبُدَني

وإِن أَبيتَ أَن تُطلِقَ شَعْبي، فها أَنا آتي بِالجَرادِ غَدًا على أَرضِكَ

فيُغَطِّي وَجهَ الأَرض، حتَّى لا يَقدِرَ أَحَدٌ أَن يَراها، ويأكُلُ البَقِيَّةَ الباقِيَةَ الَّتي سَلِمَت مِنَ البَرَد، ويأكُلُ كُلَّ الشَّجَرِ النابِتِ لَكم في الحَقْل

ويَملَأُ بُيوتَكَ وبُيوتَ جَميعِ حاشِيَتِكَ وبُيوتَ جَميعِ المِصرِيِّين، ما لم يَرَ مِثلَه آباؤُكَ ولا آباءُ آبائِكَ مِن يَومِ وُجودِهِم على الأَرضِ إِلى هٰذا اليَوم». ثُمَّ أَدارَ موسى وَجهَه وخَرَجَ مِن عِندِ فِرعَون

فقالَ لِفرعَونَ حاشِيَتُه: «إِلى متى يَكونُ هٰذا فَخًّا لَنا؟ أَطلِقِ النَّاسَ لِيَعبُدوا الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَهُم. أَلَم تَعْلَمْ حتَّى الآنَ أَنَّ مِصرَ قد هَلَكَت؟»

فرُدَّ موسى وهارونُ إِلى فِرعَون، فقالَ لَهما: «إِذهَبوا فٱعُبدوا الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَكم. ولٰكِن مَن ومَن يَذهَب؟»

قالَ موسى: «نَذهَبُ بِفِتْيانِنا وشُيوخِنا وبَنينا وبَناتِنا وغَنَمِنا وبَقَرِنا، لِأَنَّ لَنا عيدًا لِلرَّبّ»

فقالَ لَهما: «لِيَكُنِ الرَّبُّ معَكُم، كَما أَنا مُطلِقُكم ومُطلِقُ عِيالِكم أَيضًا. أُنظُروا كَيفَ أَنَّ الشَّرَّ بادٍ على وُجوهِكم

لن يَكونَ كذٰلك، بلِ ٱذْهَبوا أَنتُمُ الرِّجال فٱعبُدوا الرَّبّ، فهٰذا ما تَطلُبونَه». وطُرِدوا مِن أَمامِ فِرعَون

فقالَ الرَّبُّ لِموسى: «مُدَّ يَدَكَ على أَرضِ مِصر لِيَأتِيَ الجَرادُ فيَصعَدَ إِلى أَرضِ مِصر ويأكُلَ كُلَّ عُشْبِ الأَرض، كُلَّ ما تَرَكَه البَرَد»

فمَدَّ موسى عَصاه على أَرضِ مِصْر، فساقَ الرَّبُّ ريحًا شرقِيَّةً على الأَرضِ طَوالَ ذٰلك اليَومِ وطَوالَ اللَّيل، وعِندَ الصُّبحِ حَمَلَتِ الرِّيحُ الشَّرقِيَّةُ الجَراد

فصَعِدَ الجَرادُ إِلى أَرضِ مِصرَ كُلِّها وٱستَقَرَّ على أَراضي مِصرَ كُلِّها، حتَّى لم يَكُنْ قَبلَه جَرادٌ مِثلُه ولا يَكونُ بَعدَه كذٰلك

فغَطَّى كُلَّ وَجهِ الأَرض، حتَّى أَظلَمَتِ الأَرض، وأَكَلَ كُلَّ عُشْبِها وكُلَّ ما تَرَكَه البَرَدُ مِن ثَمَرِ الشَّجَر، حتَّى لم يَبْقَ شَيءٌ مِنَ الخُضرَةِ في الشَّجَرِ ولا في عُشْبِ الحَقْلِ في أَرضِ مِصْرَ كُلِّها

فأَسرَعَ فِرعونُ وٱستَدْعى موسى وهارونَ وقال: «قد خَطِئتُ إِلى الرَّبِّ إِلٰهِكُما وإِلَيكُما

والآن فٱصْفَحا عن ذَنْبي هٰذه المَرَّةَ أَيضًا وٱبتَهِلا إِلى الرَّبِّ إِلٰهِكُما لِيَرفَعَ عَنِّي هٰذا المَوتَ فقَط»

فخَرَجَ موسى مِن عِندِ فِرعونَ وٱبتَهَلَ إِلى الرَّبّ

فحَوَّلَ الرَّبُّ الرِّيحَ إِلى ريحٍ غَربِيَّةٍ شَديدةٍ جِدًّا، فحَمَلَتِ الجَرادَ وطَرَحَته في بَحرِ القَصَب، ولم يَبقَ جَرادَةٌ واحِدَةٌ في جَميعِ أَراضي مِصْر

وقَسَّى الرَّبُّ قَلْبَ فِرعَون، فلَم يُطلِقْ بَني إِسْرائيل

ثُمَّ قالَ الرَّبُّ لِموسى: «مُدَّ يَدَكَ نَحوَ السَّماء، فيَكونَ ظَلامٌ على أَرضِ مِصْر، حَتَّى يَكونَ الظَّلامُ مَلْموسًا»

فمَدَّ موسى يَدَه نحوَ السَّماء، فكانَ ظَلامٌ كَثيفٌ في كُلِّ أَرضِ مِصرَ ثلاثَةَ أَيَّام

ولَم يَكُنِ الواحِدُ يُبصِرُ أَخاه، ولَم يَقُمْ أَحَدٌ مِن مَكانِه ثَلاثَةَ أَيَّام. أَمَّا جَميعُ بَني إِسْرائيل فكانَ نورٌ في مَساكِنِهم

فٱستَدْعى فِرعَونُ موسى وقال: «إِذهَبوا فٱعبُدوا الرَّبّ. أَمَّا غَنَمُكم وبَقَرُكم فلْيُتْرَكْ، وعِيالُكُم أَيضًا يَذهَبونَ مَعَكم»

فقالَ موسى: «أَفأَنتَ تُسَلِّمُ إِلى أَيدينا ذبائِحَ ومُحرَقاتٍ نُقَرِّبُها لِلرَّبِّ إِلٰهِنا؟

فَمَواشينا أيضًا تَذهَبُ مَعنا، لا يَبْقى مِنها ظِلْفٌ، لِأَنَّنا مِنها نأْخُذُ ما نَعبُدُ بِه الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَنا، ونَحنُ لا نَعلَمُ كَيفَ نعبُدُ الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَنا بِدونِها إِلى أَن نَصِلَ إِلى هُناك»

وقَسَّى الرَّبُّ قَلبَ فِرعَون، فلَم يَشَأْ أَن يُطلِقَهم

فقالَ لَه فِرعَون: «إِذْهَبْ عَنِّي وٱحذَرْ أَن تَعودَ إِلى رُؤيةِ وَجْهي، فإِنَّكَ يَومَ ترى وَجْهي تَموت»

قالَ موسى: «لكَ ما تَقول، فإِنّي لن أَعودَ إِلى رُؤيَةِ وَجهِكَ»

The LORD 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;

and 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 the LORD.”

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what the LORD, 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.

Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,

and 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.

Your 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.

Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are those who will go?”

Moses 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 the LORD.”

He said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.

Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

The LORD 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.”

Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

The 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.

For 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.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”

Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.

The LORD 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.

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.

The LORD 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.”

Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

They 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.

Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”

Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the LORD our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve the LORD, until we come there.”

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.

Pharaoh 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!”

Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”