Strike Ten: Death
1God
said to Moses: "I'm going to hit Pharaoh and Egypt one final time, and
then he'll let you go. When he releases you, that will be the end of
Egypt for you; he won't be able to get rid of you fast enough.
2-3
"So here's what you do. Tell the people to ask, each man from his
neighbor and each woman from her neighbor, for things made of silver and
gold." God saw to it that
the Egyptians liked the people. Also, Moses was greatly admired by the
Egyptians, a respected public figure among both Pharaoh's servants and
the people at large.
4-7 Then Moses confronted Pharaoh: "God's
Message: 'At midnight I will go through Egypt and every firstborn child
in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his
throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl working at her hand mill.
Also the firstborn of animals. Widespread wailing will erupt all over
the country, lament such as has never been and never will be again. But
against the Israelites—man, woman, or animal—there won't be so much as a
dog's bark, so that you'll know that God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel.'
8
"Then all these servants of yours will go to their knees, begging me to
leave, 'Leave! You and all the people who follow you!' And I will most
certainly leave."
Moses, seething with anger, left Pharaoh.
9 God
said to Moses, "Pharaoh's not going to listen to a thing you say so
that the signs of my presence and work are going to multiply in the land
of Egypt."
10 Moses and Aaron had performed all these signs in Pharaoh's presence, but God turned Pharaoh more stubborn than ever—yet again he refused to release the Israelites from his land.