and upon the sheep there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land."

6. According to the word that God had spoken, the next day the cattle of the Egyptians died; but of those belonging to the children of Israel there died not one.

Pharaoh, remembering what Moses had said of the preservation of the Israelites' cattle, sent to Goshen to learn whether the plague had smitten them or not: and although he found that the Divine prediction had been exactly fulfilled, he refused to be convinced; and continued in his former resolution not to let the Israelites go.

7. Since neither threats nor warnings had any effect in removing the king's obstinacy, God now resolved to surprise him with a sore plague, without giving him any warning. "Take," said He to Moses and Aaron, "handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it towards heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon

man, and upon beast, throughout all the land."

No sooner had Moses done so, than the skin both of man and beast broke out in scabs, and ulcers, and noisome sores and so grievous was the plague upon the magicianswho, possibly, would have once more tried their skill to regain their credit -that they were not able to stand before Moses.

8. God now hardened the heart of Pharaoh, that he might make him a monument of his power to all future ages. Speaking unto Moses, He said, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed, for this cause I have raised thee up, to shew in thee my power; and that my Name may be declared throughout all the earth. Dost thou still exalt thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go? Behold,

now.

to-morrow, about this time, I will cause it to rain a very heavy grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof until Send, therefore, now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die."

Some of Pharaoh's people, having already been witnesses of the terrible power of God, were constrained through fear to bring home their servants and cattle. Others did not regard the message, and left them in the fields till it was too late to save them from destruction.

9. And now, the appointed time being come, Moses stretched forth his rod towards heaven; and instantly the Lord sent forth thunder and hail, and fire mingled with the hail; and the fire ran along upon the ground, carrying destruction into every quarter. So grievous, indeed, and so terrible was the scourge, that none like it had been seen in Egypt since it became a nation: every man and beast that was left in the fields was killed, and the herbs and trees were shattered and destroyed. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

10. The king, terrified by this display of the power of the God of Israel, sent in dismay for Moses and Aaron, and said, "I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer." Moses replied, "As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God."

11. Moses then left the king, and going out of the city, spread abroad his hands to the Lord; on which the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was no longer poured upon the earth. As soon as Pharaoh saw that he was delivered from the plague, he sinned yet more, and returned to his former determination, not to let the children of Israel go.

12. Again, therefore, God commanded Moses, saying, "Go in unto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him and that thou mayest tell

in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that I am the Lord. Moses and Aaron then returned to the king's palace, and said to Pharaoh, "How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go that they may serve me. Else, if thou refuse to let them go, behold, to-morrow I will bring the locusts upon thy coast: and they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped from the hail, and every tree which groweth in the field: and they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; they shall be such as neither thy fathers, nor thy father's fathers have seen."

Having delivered this message, Moses and Aaron withdrew from the king's presence. His courtiers, fearing that they were gone to draw down upon them another plague, said to Pharaoh "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God. Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?"

Their importunity prevailed more than God's threats and judgments;

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for he sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, Go; serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?" "We will go," said Moses, "with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds for we must hold a feast unto the Lord." This Pharaoh positively refused to allow; telling them that he would only suffer the men to go; and then ordering them to be driven out from his presence.

14. Moses being thus again repulsed, by God's command stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and immediately a strong wind arose, and blew all that day and the following night. The next morning, endless legions of devouring locusts appeared, very grievous; and they covered the face of the whole land, so that it was darkened by them; and they eat up all that the hail had left, so that there remained nothing green, either in the trees or in the fields, throughout all the land of Egypt.

15. Pharaoh began now to be more sensibly touched with this plague than he had with any of the former; for he plainly saw that the total destruction of the fruits of the earth must, in time, prove the destruction of both men and cattle. Calling

When the plague was thus removed, Pharaoh returned to his hardness of heart, and refused still to let the people go.

16. God now commanded Moses to stretch forth his hand towards heaven, that there might be a darkness over the land, such as might be felt. He did so; and there was a thick darkness over all the land of Egypt three days; so that they saw not one another, neither did any one rise from his place for three days. But God did not forget His chosen people during this awful visitation ;

for during the whole time, the children of Israel had light in all their dwellings.

17. This season of horror so afflicted the king, who was affrighted by the continual terrors of so long and dismal a night, that he called for Moses and said, "Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. To this Moses replied, "Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us;

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there shall not a hoof be left behind; for we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither." Pharaoh was so offended at this demand that he said, "Get thee from me: take heed to thyself; see my face no more: for in the day that thou seest my face thou shalt die." Moses replied, "Thou hast spoken well: I will see thy face again no more."

CHAPTER IV.

1. Moses threatens Pharaoh with the death of the firstborn. 2. God's message to the Israelites to borrow jewels from the Egyptians. 3. They lend them whatever they require. 4. God institutes the passover. 5. The firstborn of the Egyptians are slain. 6. Pharaoh commands the children of Israel to depart. 7. They are driven out of Egypt. 8. Moses takes the bones of Joseph with him. 9. The number of the Israelites who leave Egypt. 10. The firstborn are sanctified to God. 11. He guides the people by a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire. 12. They encamp near the Red Sea. 13. Pharaoh repents that he let them go. 14. He pursues them. 15. The Israelites murmur. 16. Moses comforts them. 17. God's instruction to Moses. 18. The

to bring upon Egypt :

"Thus saith the Lord; About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth on the throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, neither against man nor beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out and all them that follow thee and after that I will go out." Having thus delivered his last