SECTION XIV.

 

VAERA.

 

[VI]AND the Lord spake to Mosheh and said to him, I am the Lord; and I appeared unto Abraham and to Izhak and to Jakob by (the name) EI‑Shaddai, but by My name Jehovah[1] I was not known to them. And also I have confirmed My covenant with them to give them the land of Kenaan, the land of their sojournings in which they sojourned. And before Me hath been heard the cry of the sons of Israel whom the Mizraee make to labour for them; and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore, say thou to the sons of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the midst of the sore labour for the Mizraee, and will deliver you from their servitude, and redeem you with a lofty arm and with great judgments. And I will bring you nigh before Me to be a people, and I will be unto you a God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who bringeth you out from the sore Mizrean bondage. And I will lead you into the land which I have sworn in My Word to give to Abraham, to Izhak, and to Jakob; and to you will I give it for an inheritance; I am the Lord. And Mosheh so spake with the sons of Israel: but they received not from Mosheh through anguish of spirit, and from the labour which was hard upon them.

 

And the Lord spake to Mosheh, saying, Go in, speak with Pharoh king of Mizraim, that he send away the sons of Israel from his land. And Mosheh spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the sons of Israel have not received from me, and how then will Pharoh receive, and I (so) heavy of speech? And the Lord spake to Mosheh and Aharon, and gave them commandment to the sons of Israel and unto Pharoh king of Mizraim for the going forth of the sons of Israel from the land of Mizraim.

 

These are the heads of the house of their fathers. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, Hanuk and Phalli, Hetsron and Karmi; these are the progeny of Reuben. And the sons of Shimeon, Yemuel and Yamin and Achad and Yakin and Zochar and Shaul the son of a Kenaanitha; these are the progeny of Shimeon. And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations: Gershon and Kehath and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty and seven years. The sons of Gerson, Libni and Shimei, after their progenies. And the sons of Kehath., Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kehath, a hundred and thirty and three years. And the sons of Merari, Maheli and Mushi. These are the progenies of Levi, after their generations. And Amram took Yokebed the sister of his father unto him to wife, and she bare him Aharon and Mosheh. And the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. And the sons of Izhar, Korah and Nepheg and Zikri. And the sons of Uzziel, Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. And Aharon took Elisheba the daughter of Aminadab the sister of Nachshon to him to wife; and she bare him Nadab and Abihu, Elazar and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah, Asir and Elkanah and Abiasaph: these are the progeny of Korah. And Elazar the son of Aharon took (one) of the daughters of Phutiel to himself to wife, and she bare him Pinhas. These are the chiefs of the fathers of the Levaee, according to their generations. It is Aharon and Mosheh, to whom the Lord had said, Bring forth the sons of Israel from the land of Mizraim by their armies. These are they who spake with Pharoh king of Mizraim to let the sons of Israel go forth from Mizraim: it is Mosheh and Aharon.

 

And it was in the day when the Lord spake with Mosheh in the land of Mizraim, that the Lord spake unto Mosheh, saying, I am the Lord: Speak with Pharoh king of Mizraim all that I have said to thee. But Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, I am heavy of speech, and how will Pharoh receive from me?

 

[VII]But the Lord said to Mosheh, See, I have appointed thee a Master (rab) with Pharoh, and Aharon shall be thy interpreter (methurgeman). Thou shalt speak all that I have commanded thee, and Aharon thy brother shall speak with Pharoh to send away the sons of Israel from his land. And I will harden the heart of Pharoh, and will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Mizraim. But Pharoh will not receive from you; and I will give forth the stroke of My power upon Mizraim, and will bring out My host, My people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Mizraim by great judgments. And the Mizraee shall know that I am the Lord when I uplift the stroke of My power upon Mizraim, and bring forth the sons of Israel from among them. And Mosheh and Aharon did as the Lord commanded them, so did they. And Mosheh was the son of eighty years, and Aharon the son of eighty and three years, in their speaking with Pharoh.

 

And the Lord spake to Mosheh and Aharon, saying, When Pharoh shall speak to you, saying, Produce a sign, thou shalt say to Aharon, Take thy rod, and throw it down before Pharoh., and it shall become a serpent (tanina, Heb., tanin, a long creature, whether serpent or crocodile. T.). And Mosheh and Aharon went in unto Pharoh, and did as the Lord had commanded them. Aharon threw down his rod before Pharoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. And Pharoh called for the wise men and the magicians; and they also, the Mizraite magicians, did so by their enchantments. They cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but the rod of Aharon swallowed up their rods. And Pharoh's heart was hardened, and be would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said.

 

And the Lord said to Mosheh, The heart of Pharoh is obdurate (heavy): he is unwilling to send the people away. Go unto Pharoh in the morning; behold, he goeth forth to the waters, and stand to meet him on the bank of the river, and the rod that was turned to a serpent (chevja, Heb., nachash) take in thy hand; and say to him, The Lord God of the Jehudaee hath sent me to thee, saying, Release My people, that they may serve before Me in the desert; and, behold, thou hast not yet acceded. Thus saith the Lord, By this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: Behold, with the rod that is in my hand I smite the water of the river, and it shall be turned to blood: and the fish which are in the river shall die, and the river become putrid, and the Mizraee try in vain to drink the water from the river.

 

[VIII]And the Lord spake to Mosheh, Say to Aharon, Take thy rod, and lift up thy hand over the waters of the Mizraee, upon their rivers, upon their canals, and upon their lakes, and upon all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood in all the land of Mizraim, and in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Mosheh and Aharon did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted the rod, and struck the waters of the river, in the sight of Pharoh, and in the eyes of his servants, and all the waters of the river were turned into blood. And the fish of the river died, and the river became putrid; and the Mizraee could not drink of the water of the river, and there was blood in all the land of Mizraim. And the magicians did so with their enchantments; and Pharoh's heart was hardened, and he would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said. And Pharoh turned and entered into his house; neither did he set his heart also unto this. And all the Mizraee digged by the bending of the river for water to drink; for the water which was in the river they could not drink.

 

And seven days were fulfilled after that the Lord had struck the river; and the Lord said to Mosheh, Go in unto Pharoh and say to him, Thus saith the Lord: Send away My people, that they may serve before me. But if thou refuse to send them away, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs, and the river shall multiply frogs; and they shall come up and enter into thy house, and into thy chamber the place of sleep, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and among thy people, and into thy ovens and thy kneading pans; and upon thee and upon thy people and upon all thy servants shall the frogs come up. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Say to Aharon, Uplift thy hand with thy staff upon the streams, upon the rivulets, and upon the lakes; and the frogs shall come up on the land of Mizraim. And Aharon lifted up his hand over the waters of the Mizraee, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Mizraim. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and made frogs to come up on the land of Mizraim. And Pharoh called Mosheh and Aharon, and said, Pray before the Lord that the frogs may be removed from me and from my people; and I will release the people, that they may sacrifice before the Lord. And Mosheh said to Pharoh, Demand for thyself a miracle, and appoint me a time[2] when I shall pray for thee, and for thy servants and thy people, that the frogs may be finished from thee and from thy house, and remain only in the river. And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, According to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none as the Lord our God. And the frogs shall be removed from thee and from thy house and thy servants and thy people; in the river only shall they remain. And Mosheh and Aharon went out from Pharoh; and Mosheh prayed before the Lord concerning the frogs which he had appointed unto Pharoh. And the Lord did according to the words of Mosheh; and the frogs died from the houses, and from the courts, and from the fields. And they gathered them in heaps (upon) heaps, and they corrupted upon the ground. And Pharoh saw that there was relief; and hardened his heart, and would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said.

 

And the Lord spake to Mosheh, Say unto Aharon, Lift up thy rod and smite the dust of the earth, and it shall become, insects,[3] in all the land of Mizraim. And they did so. And Aharon lifted up his hand with the rod and smote the dust of the earth, and it became insects on man and on cattle; all the dust of the earth became insects in all the land of Mizraim. And the magicians wrought so with their enchantments to produce the insects, but were not able; and there were insects on man and on beast. And the magicians said to Pharoh, This is a plague from before the Lord. Yet Pharoh's heart was hardened, and he would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said.

 

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Arise in the morning and stand before Pharoh; behold, he goeth out to the waters; and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, Send My people away, that they may serve before Me. For if thou wilt not send My people away, behold, I will send on thee, and on thy servants, and on thy people, and upon thy houses, the aroba;[4] I and they shall fill the houses of the Mizraee with the aroba; and also the ground on which they are. But I will make a distinction in that day with the land of Goshen where My people dwell, that the aroba shall not be there; so that thou mayest know that I the Lord do rule in the midst of the earth. And I will ordain redemption to My people, but upon thy people shall be the plague. Tomorrow shall this sign be. And the Lord did so; and the aroba came with strength into the house of Pharoh, and into the house of his servants, and into all the land of Mizraim; and the land was destroyed before the aroba.

 

And Pharoh called for Mosheh and Aharon, and said, Go, sacrifice before your God in the land. But Mosheh said, It will not be fitting to do so; because the animals which the Mizraee worship we shall take to sacrifice before the Lord our God. Behold, should we immolate the animal which the Mizraee worship, would they not stone us when they saw it? A journey of three days will we go into the desert, and sacrifice before the Lord our God, as He hath told us. And Pharoh said, I will send you away, that you may sacrifice before the Lord your God in the desert; only you shall not go farther and farther: pray also for me. And Mosheh said, Behold I will go out from being with thee, and will pray before the Lord, and He will remove the aroba from Pharoh, and from his servants, and his people, tomorrow; only let Pharoh no more be false[5] in not sending away the people to sacrifice unto the Lord. And Mosheh went out from before Pharoh, and prayed before the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Mosheh, and removed the aroba from. Pharoh and his servants, and his people; not one remained. But Pharoh hardened his heart this time also, and would not dismiss the people.

 

[IX]And the Lord said to Mosheh, Go in unto Pharoh and say to him: Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Jehudaee; Send My people away, that they may serve before Me: for if thou refuse to send them away, ‑and thou hast kept them until now, ‑behold, a plague from before the Lord shall be upon thy cattle which are in the field; upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, a very great death. But the Lord will make distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of the

Miz­raee; and of all that the children of Israel possess not one shall die. And the Lord set a time,[6] saying, To‑morrow will the Lord do this thing in

the land. And the Lord did that thing on the following day, and all the cattle of the Mizraee died; but of the cattle of the sons of Israel died not one.

And Pharoh sent, and, behold, not one of the cattle of the sons of Israel had died. And Pharoh's heart was hardened, and he would not send the people away.

             

And the Lord said to Mosheh and Aharon, Take you handfuls of dust of the furnace, and let Mosheh scatter it towards the heavens in the presence of Pharoh; and it will be like fine powder upon all the land of Mizraim, and it shall be upon man and beast an inflammation growing into ulcers in all the land of Mizraim. And they took the dust of the furnace and stood before Pharoh; and Mosheh scattered it towards the heavens, and it became an inflammation of ulcers multiplying on man and beast.                                              And the magicians could not stand before Mosheh, on account of the disease; for the disease was upon the magicians and upon all the Mizraee. And the Lord obdurated the heart of Pharoh, and he would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said to Mosheh.

                                                                                                                                               

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Rise up in the morn­ing and stand before Pharoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Jehudaee Send My people away, that they may serve before Me: for at this time I will send all My plagues upon thy heart, and                                        upon thy servants and thy people, that thou mayest know that there is no one like Me, the Ruler in all the earth. For now it is nigh before Me to send indeed My strong plagues, and smite thee and thy people with death, and cut thee off from the earth. For therefore have I raised thee up, that I may show thee My power, and that they may acknowledge the might of My name in all the earth. Until now hast thou kept My people down,[7] that thou mayest not release them. Behold, I will cause to come down, as at this time tomorrow, hail most mighty, the like of which hath never been in Mizraim from the day that it was founded until now. And now, send, gather in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast that may be found in the field not gathered into the house the hail will fall, and they shall die. Who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharoh collected his servants and his cattle unto the houses; but he who did not set his heart upon the word of the Lord, left his servants and his cattle in the field.

 

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Uplift thy hand towards the heavens, and there shall be hail in all the land of Mizraim upon man, and beast, and every herb of the field throughout the land of Mizraim. And Mosheh lifted up the rod towards the heavens, and the Lord sent thunders, (voices,) and hail, and fire going upon the ground: and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Mizraim, and there was hail, and fire flaming among the hail, very mighty, such as the like of had not been in all the land of Mizraim since the time it had been for a people. And the hail smote in all the land of Mizraim all that was in the field from man to cattle, and every herb of the field the hail struck, and every tree of the field it brake. Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.

 

And Pharoh sent and called for Mosheh and Aharon, and said to them, I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty. Pray before the Lord that relief may be multiplied before Him, so that there may be upon us no more thunders of malediction like these before the Lord, nor hail; and I will send you away, and will not continue to detain you. And Mosheh said to him, When I shall have gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands in prayer before the Lord, and the thunders shall cease, and there shall be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord's. But (as for) thee and thy servants, I know that as yet ye are not humbled before the Lord God. And the flax and the barley were smitten, because the barley was earing and the flax was in flower: but the wheat and the spelt were not smitten, for they were later. And Mosheh went out of the city from Pharoh, and spread forth his hands in prayer before the Lord, and the thunders ceased, and the hail and the rain which had descended came not (more) upon the earth. And Pharoh saw that the rain had ceased, and the hail and the thunders, and he added yet to sin, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharoh was hardened, and he would not send away the sons of Israel, as the Lord had spoken by the hand of Mosheh.