Chapters 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-91
CHAPTER 71
1 And when Moses was eighteen years old, he desired to see his father
and mother and he went to them to Goshen, and when Moses had come
near Goshen, he came to the place where the children of Israel
were engaged in work, and he observed their burdens, and he saw
an Egyptian smiting one of his Hebrew brethren.
2 And when the man who was beaten saw Moses he ran to him for help,
for the man Moses was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh,
and he said to him, My lord attend to me, this Egyptian came to my
house in the night, bound me, and came to my wife in my presence,
and now he seeks to take my life away.
3 And when Moses heard this wicked thing, his anger was kindled against
the Egyptian, and he turned this way and the other, and when he saw
there was no man there he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand,
and delivered the Hebrew from the hand of him that smote him.
4 And the Hebrew went to his house, and Moses returned to his home,
and went forth and came back to the king's house.
5 And when the man had returned home, he thought of repudiating his
wife, for it was not right in the house of Jacob, for any man to
come to his wife after she had been defiled.
6 And the woman went and told her brothers, and the woman's brothers
sought to slay him, and he fled to his house and escaped.
7 And on the second day Moses went forth to his brethren, and saw,
and behold two men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one,
Why dost thou smite thy neighbor?
8 And he answered him and said to him, Who has set thee for a prince
and judge over us? dost thou think to slay me as thou didst slay
the Egyptian? and Moses was afraid and he said, Surely the thing
is known?
9 And Pharaoh heard of this affair, and he ordered Moses to be slain,
so God sent his angel, and he appeared unto Pharaoh in the likeness
of a captain of the guard.
10 And the angel of the Lord took the sword from the hand of the
captain of the guard, and took his head off with it, for the likeness
of the captain of the guard was turned into the likeness of Moses.
11 And the angel of the Lord took hold of the right hand of Moses,
and brought him forth from Egypt, and placed him from without the
borders of Egypt, a distance of forty days' journey.
12 And Aaron his brother alone remained in the land of Egypt, and
he prophesied to the children of Israel, saying,
13 Thus says the Lord God of your ancestors, Throw away, each man,
the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the
idols of Egypt.
14 And the children of Israel rebelled and would not hearken to Aaron
at that time.
15 And the Lord thought to destroy them, were it not that the Lord
remembered the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
16 In those days the hand of Pharaoh continued to be severe against
the children of Israel, and he crushed and oppressed them until the
time when God sent forth his word and took notice of them.
CHAPTER 72
1 And it was in those days that there was a great war between the
children of Cush and the children of the east and Aram, and they
rebelled against the king of Cush in whose hands they were.
2 So Kikianus king of Cush went forth with all the children of
Cush, a people numerous as the sand, and he went to fight against
Aram and the children of the east, to bring them under subjection.
3 And when Kikianus went out, he left Balaam the magician, with
his two sons, to guard the city, and the lowest sort of the people
of the land.
4 So Kikianus went forth to Aram and the children of the east,
and he fought against them and smote them, and they all fell down
wounded before Kikianus and his people.
5 And he took many of them captives and he brought them under subjection
as at first, and he encamped upon their land to take tribute from
them as usual.
6 And Balaam the son of Beor, when the king of Cush had left him
to guard the city and the poor of the city, he rose up and advised
with the people of the land to rebel against king Kikianus, not
to let him enter the city when he should come home.
7 And the people of the land hearkened to him, and they swore to
him and made him king over them, and his two sons for captains
of the army.
8 So they rose up and raised the walls of the city at the two corners,
and they built an exceeding strong building.
9 And at the third corner they dug ditches without number, between
the city and the river which surrounded the whole land of Cush,
and they made the waters of the river burst forth there.
10 At the fourth corner they collected numerous serpents by their
incantations and enchantments, and they fortified the city and
dwelt therein, and no one went out or in before them.
11 And Kikianus fought against Aram and the children of the east
and he subdued them as before, and they gave him their usual tribute,
and he went and returned to his land.
12 And when Kikianus the king of Cush approached his city and all
the captains of the forces with him, they lifted up their eyes
and saw that the walls of the city were built up and greatly elevated,
so the men were astonished at this.
13 And they said one to the other, It is because they saw that
we were delayed, in battle, and were greatly afraid of us, therefore
have they done this thing and raised the city walls and fortified
them so that the kings of Canaan might not come in battle against
them.
14 So the king and the troops approached the city door and they
looked up and behold, all the gates of the city were closed, and
they called out to the sentinels, saying, Open unto us, that we
may enter the city.
15 But the sentinels refused to open to them by the order of Balaam
the magician, their king, they suffered them not to enter their
city.
16 So they raised a battle with them opposite the city gate, and
one hundred and thirty men of the army at Kikianus fell on that
day.
17 And on the next day they continued to fight and they fought
at the side of the river; they endeavored to pass but were not
able, so some of them sank in the pits and died.
18 So the king ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts, upon
which they might pass to them, and they did so.
19 And when they came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved
by mills, and two hundred men upon ten rafts were drowned.
20 And on the third day they came to fight at the side where the
serpents were, but they could not approach there, for the serpents
slew of them one hundred and seventy men, and they ceased fighting
against Cush, and they besieged Cush for nine years, no person
came out or in.
21 At that time that the war and the siege were against Cush, Moses
fled from Egypt from Pharaoh who sought to kill him for having
slain the Egyptian.
22 And Moses was eighteen years old when he fled from Egypt from
the presence of Pharaoh, and he fled and escaped to the camp of
Kikianus, which at that time was besieging Cush.
23 And Moses was nine years in the camp of Kikianus king of Cush,
all the time that they were besieging Cush, and Moses went out
and came in with them.
24 And the king and princes and all the fighting men loved Moses,
for he was great and worthy, his stature was like a noble lion,
his face was like the sun, and his strength was like that of a
lion, and he was counsellor to the king.
25 And at the end of nine years, Kikianus was seized with a mortal
disease, and his illness prevailed over him, and he died on the
seventh day.
26 So his servants embalmed him and carried him and buried him
opposite the city gate to the north of the land of Egypt.
27 And they built over him an elegant strong and high building,
and they placed great stones below.
28 And the king's scribes engraved upon those stones all the might
of their king Kikianus, and all his battles which he had fought,
behold they are written there at this day.
29 Now after the death of Kikianus king of Cush it grieved his
men and troops greatly on account of the war.
30 So they said one to the other, Give us counsel what we are to
do at this time, as we have resided in the wilderness nine years
away from our homes.
31 If we say we will fight against the city many of us will fall
wounded or killed, and if we remain here in the siege we shall
also die.
32 For now all the kings of Aram and of the children of the east
will hear that our king is dead, and they will attack us suddenly
in a hostile manner, and they will fight against us and leave no
remnant of us.
33 Now therefore let us go and make a king over us, and let us
remain in the siege until the city is delivered up to us.
34 And they wished to choose on that day a man for king from the
army of Kikianus, and they found no object of their choice like
Moses to reign over them.
35 And they hastened and stripped off each man his garments and
cast them upon the ground, and they made a great heap and placed
Moses thereon.
36 And they rose up and blew with trumpets and called out before
him, and said, May the king live, may the king live!
37 And all the people and nobles swore unto him to give him for
a wife Adoniah the queen, the Cushite, wife of Kikianus, and they
made Moses king over them on that day.
38 And all the people of Cush issued a proclamation on that day,
saying, Every man must give something to Moses of what is in his
possession.
39 And they spread out a sheet upon the heap, and every man cast
into it something of what he had, one a gold earring and the other
a coin.
40 Also of onyx stones, bdellium, pearls and marble did the children
of Cush cast unto Moses upon the heap, also silver and gold in
great abundance.
41 And Moses took all the silver and gold, all the vessels, and
the bdellium and onyx stones, which all the children of Cush had
given to him, and he placed them amongst his treasures.
42 And Moses reigned over the children of Cush on that day, in
the place of Kikianus king of Cush.
CHAPTER 73
1 In the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt,
that is in the hundred and fifty-seventh year of the Israelites
going down into Egypt, reigned Moses in Cush.
2 Moses was twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over
Cush, and forty years did he reign.
3 And the Lord granted Moses favor and grace in the eyes of all
the children of Cush, and the children of Cush loved him exceedingly,
so Moses was favored by the Lord and by men.
4 And in the seventh day of his reign, all the children of Cush
assembled and came before Moses and bowed down to him to the ground.
5 And all the children spoke together in the presence of the king,
saying, Give us counsel that we may see what is to be done to this
city.
6 For it is now nine years that we have been besieging round about
the city, and have not seen our children and our wives.
7 So the king answered them, saying, If you will hearken to my
voice in all that I shall command you, then will the Lord give
the city into our hands and we shall subdue it.
8 For if we fight with them as in the former battle which we had
with them before the death of Kikianus, many of us will fall down
wounded as before.
9 Now therefore behold here is counsel for you in this matter;
if you will hearken to my voice, then will the city be delivered
into our hands.
10 So all the forces answered the king, saying, All that our lord
shall command that will we do.
11 And Moses said unto them, Pass through and proclaim a voice
in the whole camp unto all the people, saying,
12 Thus says the king, Go into the forest and bring with you of
the young ones of the stork, each man a young one in his hand.
13 And any person transgressing the word of the king, who shall
not bring his young one, he shall die, and the king will take all
belonging to him.
14 And when you shall bring them they shall be in your keeping,
you shall rear them until they grow up, and you shall teach them
to dart upon, as is the way of the young ones of the hawk.
15 So all the children of Cush heard the words of Moses, and they
rose up and caused a proclamation to be issued throughout the camp,
saying,
16 Unto you, all the children of Cush, the king's order is, that
you go all together to the forest, and catch there the young storks
each man his young one in his hand, and you shall bring them home.
17 And any person violating the order of the king shall die, and
the king will take all that belongs to him.
18 And all the people did so, and they went out to the wood and
they climbed the fir trees and caught, each man a young one in
his hand, all the young of the storks, and they brought them into
the desert and reared them by order of the king, and they taught
them to dart upon, similar to the young hawks.
19 And after the young storks were reared, the king ordered them
to be hungered for three days, and all the people did so.
20 And on the third day, the king said unto them, strengthen yourselves
and become valiant men, and put on each man his armor and gird
on his sword upon him, and ride each man his horse and take each
his young stork in his hand.
21 And we will rise up and fight against the city at the place
where the serpents are; and all the people did as the king had
ordered.
22 And they took each man his young one in his hand, and they went
away, and when they came to the place of the serpents the king
said to them, Send forth each man his young stork upon the serpents.
23 And they sent forth each man his young stork at the king's order,
and the young storks ran upon the serpents and they devoured them
all and destroyed them out of that place.
24 And when the king and people had seen that all the serpents
were destroyed in that place, all the people set up a great shout.
25 And they approached and fought against the city and took it
and subdued it, and they entered the city.
26 And there died on that day one thousand and one hundred men
of the people of the city, all that inhabited the city, but of
the people besieging not one died.
27 So all the children of Cush went each to his home, to his wife
and children and to all belonging to him.
28 And Balaam the magician, when he saw that the city was taken,
he opened the gate and he and his two sons and eight brothers fled
and returned to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt.
29 They are the sorcerers and magicians who are mentioned in the
book of the law, standing against Moses when the Lord brought the
plagues upon Egypt.
30 So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush
placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush.
31 And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave
him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.
32 And Moses feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he came
not to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her.
33 For Moses remembered how Abraham had made his servant Eliezer
swear, saying unto him, Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters
of Canaan for my son Isaac.
34 Also what Isaac did when Jacob had fled from his brother, when
he commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters
of Canaan, nor make alliance with any of the children of Ham.
35 For the Lord our God gave Ham the son of Noah, and his children
and all his seed, as slaves to the children of Shem and to the
children of Japheth, and unto their seed after them for slaves,
forever.
36 Therefore Moses turned not his heart nor his eyes to the wife
of Kikianus all the days that he reigned over Cush.
37 And Moses feared the Lord his God all his life, and Moses walked
before the Lord in truth, with all his heart and soul, he turned
not from the right way all the days of his life; he declined not
from the way either to the right or to the left, in which Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob had walked.
38 And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children
of Cush, and he guided the children of Cush with his usual wisdom,
and Moses prospered in his kingdom.
39 And at that time Aram and the children of the east heard that
Kikianus king of Cush had died, so Aram and the children of the
east rebelled against Cush in those days.
40 And Moses gathered all the children of Cush, a people very mighty,
about thirty thousand men, and he went forth to fight with Aram
and the children of the east.
41 And they went at first to the children of the east, and when
the children of the east heard their report, they went to meet
them, and engaged in battle with them.
42 And the war was severe against the children of the east, so
the Lord gave all the children of the east into the hand of Moses,
and about three hundred men fell down slain.
43 And all the children of the east turned back and retreated,
so Moses and the children of Cush followed them and subdued them,
and put a tax upon them, as was their custom.
44 So Moses and all the people with him passed from there to the
land of Aram for battle.
45 And the people of Aram also went to meet them, and they fought
against them, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses,
and many of the men of Aram fell down wounded.
46 And Aram also were subdued by Moses and the people of Cush,
and also gave their usual tax.
47 And Moses brought Aram and the children of the east under subjection
to the children of Cush, and Moses and all the people who were
with him, turned to the land of Cush.
48 And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children
of Cush, and the Lord was with him, and all the children of Cush
were afraid of him.
CHAPTER 74
1 In the end of years died Saul king of Edom, and Baal Chanan the
son of Achbor reigned in his place.
2 In the sixteenth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Baal Chanan
the son of Achbor reigned in the land of Edom over all the children
of Edom for thirty-eight years.
3 In his days Moab rebelled against the power of Edom, having been
under Edom since the days of Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote
them and Midian, and brought Moab under subjection to Edom.
4 And when Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned over Edom, all
the children of Moab withdrew their allegiance from Edom.
5 And Angeas king of Africa died in those days, and Azdrubal his
son reigned in his stead.
6 And in those days died Janeas king of the children of Chittim,
and they buried him in his temple which he had built for himself
in the plain of Canopia for a residence, and Latinus reigned in
his stead.
7 In the twenty-second year of the reign of Moses over the children
of Cush, Latinus reigned over the children of Chittim forty-five
years.
8 And he also built for himself a great and mighty tower, and he
built therein an elegant temple for his residence, to conduct his
government, as was the custom.
9 In the third year of his reign he caused a proclamation to be
made to all his skilful men, who made many ships for him.
10 And Latinus assembled all his forces, and they came in ships,
and went therein to fight with Azdrubal son of Angeas king of Africa,
and they came to Africa and engaged in battle with Azdrubal and
his army.
11 And Latinus prevailed over Azdrubal, and Latinus took from Azdrubal
the aqueduct which his father had brought from the children of
Chittim, when he took Janiah the daughter of Uzi for a wife, so
Latinus overthrew the bridge of the aqueduct, and smote the whole
army of Azdrubal a severe blow.
12 And the remaining strong men of Azdrubal strengthened themselves,
and their hearts were filled with envy, and they courted death,
and again engaged in battle with Latinus king of Chittim.
13 And the battle was severe upon all the men of Africa, and they
all fell wounded before Latinus and his people, and Azdrubal the
king also fell in that battle.
14 And the king Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter, whose name
was Ushpezena, and all the men of Africa embroidered her likeness
on their garments, on account of her great beauty and comely appearance.
15 And the men of Latinus saw Ushpezena, the daughter of Azdrubal,
and praised her unto Latinus their king.
16 And Latinus ordered her to be brought to him, and Latinus took
Ushpezena for a wife, and he turned back on his way to Chittim.
17 And it was after the death of Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Latinus
had turned back to his land from the battle, that all the inhabitants
of Africa rose up and took Anibal the son of Angeas, the younger
brother of Azdrubal, and made him king instead at his brother over
the whole land at Africa.
18 And when he reigned, he resolved to go to Chittim to fight with
the children of Chittim, to avenge the cause of Azdrubal his brother,
and the cause of the inhabitants of Africa, and he did so.
19 And he made many ships, and he came therein with his whole army,
and he went to Chittim.
20 So Anibal fought with the children of Chittim, and the children
of Chittim fell wounded before Anibal and his army, and Anibal
avenged his brother's cause.
21 And Anibal continued the war for eighteen years with the children
of Chittim, and Anibal dwelt in the land of Chittim and encamped
there for a long time.
22 And Anibal smote the children of Chittim very severely, and
he slew their great men and princes, and of the rest of the people
he smote about eighty thousand men.
23 And at the end of days and years, Anibal returned to his land
of Africa, and he reigned securely in the place of Azdrubal his
brother.
CHAPTER 75
1 At that time, in the hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites
going down into Egypt, there went forth from Egypt valiant men,
thirty thousand on foot, from the children of Israel, who were
all of the tribe of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim the son
of Joseph.
2 For they said the period was completed which the Lord had appointed
to the children of Israel in the times of old, which he had spoken
to Abraham.
3 And these men girded themselves, and they put each man his sword
at his side, and every man his armor upon him, and they trusted
to their strength, and they went out together from Egypt with a
mighty hand.
4 But they brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold,
not even bread for that day did they bring in their hands, for
they thought of getting their provision for pay from the Philistines,
and if not they would take it by force.
5 And these men were very mighty and valiant men, one man could
pursue a thousand and two could rout ten thousand, so they trusted
to their strength and went together as they were.
6 And they directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they
went down and found the shepherds of Gath feeding the cattle of
the children of Gath.
7 And they said to the shepherds, Give us some of the sheep for
pay, that we may eat, for we are hungry, for we have eaten no bread
this day.
8 And the shepherds said, Are they our sheep or cattle that we
should give them to you even for pay? so the children of Ephraim
approached to take them by force.
9 And the shepherds of Gath shouted over them that their cry was
heard at a distance, so all the children of Gath went out to them.
10 And when the children of Gath saw the evil doings of the children
of Ephraim, they returned and assembled the men of Gath, and they
put on each man his armor, and came forth to the children of Ephraim
for battle.
11 And they engaged with them in the valley of Gath, and the battle
was severe, and they smote from each other a great many on that
day.
12 And on the second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities
of the Philistines that they should come to their help, saying,
13 Come up unto us and help us, that we may smite the children
of Ephraim who have come forth from Egypt to take our cattle, and
to fight against us without cause.
14 Now the souls of the children of Ephraim were exhausted with
hunger and thirst, for they had eaten no bread for three days.
And forty thousand men went forth from the cities of the Philistines
to the assistance of the men of Gath.
15 And these men were engaged in battle with the children of Ephraim,
and the Lord delivered the children of Ephraim into the hands of
the Philistines.
16 And they smote all the children of Ephraim, all who had gone
forth from Egypt, none were remaining but ten men who had run away
from the engagement.
17 For this evil was from the Lord against the children of Ephraim,
for they transgressed the word of the Lord in going forth from
Egypt, before the period had arrived which the Lord in the days
of old had appointed to Israel.
18 And of the Philistines also there fell a great many, about twenty
thousand men, and their brethren carried them and buried them in
their cities.
19 And the slain of the children of Ephraim remained forsaken in
the valley of Gath for many days and years, and were not brought
to burial, and the valley was filled with men's bones.
20 And the men who had escaped from the battle came to Egypt, and
told all the children of Israel all that had befallen them.
21 And their father Ephraim mourned over them for many days, and
his brethren came to console him.
22 And he came unto his wife and she bare a son, and he called
his name Beriah, for she was unfortunate in his house.
CHAPTER 76
1 And Moses the son of Amram was still king in the land of Cush
in those days, and he prospered in his kingdom, and he conducted
the government of the children of Cush in justice, in righteousness,
and integrity.
2 And all the children of Cush loved Moses all the days that he
reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Cush
were greatly afraid of him.
3 And in the fortieth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Moses
was sitting on the royal throne whilst Adoniah the queen was before
him, and all the nobles were sitting around him.
4 And Adoniah the queen said before the king and the princes, What
is this thing which you, the children of Cush, have done for this
long time?
5 Surely you know that for forty years that this man has reigned
over Cush he has not approached me, nor has he served the gods
of the children of Cush.
6 Now therefore hear, O ye children of Cush, and let this man no
more reign over you as he is not of our flesh.
7 Behold Menacrus my son is grown up, let him reign over you, for
it is better for you to serve the son of your lord, than to serve
a stranger, slave of the king of Egypt.
8 And all the people and nobles of the children of Cush heard the
words which Adoniah the queen had spoken in their ears.
9 And all the people were preparing until the evening, and in the
morning they rose up early and made Menacrus, son of Kikianus,
king over them.
10 And all the children of Cush were afraid to stretch forth their
hand against Moses, for the Lord was with Moses, and the children
of Cush remembered the oath which they swore unto Moses, therefore
they did no harm to him.
11 But the children of Cush gave many presents to Moses, and sent
him from them with great honor.
12 So Moses went forth from the land of Cush, and went home and
ceased to reign over Cush, and Moses was sixty-six years old when
he went out of the land of Cush, for the thing was from the Lord,
for the period had arrived which he had appointed in the days of
old, to bring forth Israel from the affliction of the children
of Ham.
13 So Moses went to Midian, for he was afraid to return to Egypt
on account of Pharaoh, and he went and sat at a well of water in
Midian.
14 And the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite went out to feed
their father's flock.
15 And they came to the well and drew water to water their father's
flock.
16 So the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and Moses
rose up and helped them and watered the flock.
17 And they came home to their father Reuel, and told him what
Moses did for them.
18 And they said, An Egyptian man has delivered us from the hands
of the shepherds, he drew up water for us and watered the flock.
19 And Reuel said to his daughters, And where is he? wherefore
have you left the man?
20 And Reuel sent for him and fetched him and brought him home,
and he ate bread with him.
21 And Moses related to Reuel that he had fled from Egypt and that
he reigned forty years over Cush, and that they afterward had taken
the government from him, and had sent him away in peace with honor
and with presents.
22 And when Reuel had heard the words of Moses, Reuel said within
himself, I will put this man into the prison house, whereby I shall
conciliate the children of Cush, for he has fled from them.
23 And they took and put him into the prison house, and Moses was
in prison ten years, and whilst Moses was in the prison house,
Zipporah the daughter of Reuel took pity over him, and supported
him with bread and water all the time.
24 And all the children of Israel were yet in the land of Egypt
serving the Egyptians in all manner of hard work, and the hand
of Egypt continued in severity over the children of Israel in those
days.
25 At that time the Lord smote Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he afflicted
with the plague of leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown
of his head; owing to the cruel treatment of the children of Israel
was this plague at that time from the Lord upon Pharaoh king of
Egypt.
26 For the Lord had hearkened to the prayer of his people the children
of Israel, and their cry reached him on account of their hard work.
27 Still his anger did not turn from them, and the hand of Pharaoh
was still stretched out against the children of Israel, and Pharaoh
hardened his neck before the Lord, and he increased his yoke over
the children of Israel, and embittered their lives with all manner
of hard work.
28 And when the Lord had inflicted the plague upon Pharaoh king
of Egypt, he asked his wise men and sorcerers to cure him.
29 And his wise men and sorcerers said unto him, That if the blood
of little children were put into the wounds he would be healed.
30 And Pharaoh hearkened to them, and sent his ministers to Goshen
to the children of Israel to take their little children.
31 And Pharaoh's ministers went and took the infants of the children
of Israel from the bosoms of their mothers by force, and they brought
them to Pharaoh daily, a child each day, and the physicians killed
them and applied them to the plague; thus did they all the days.
32 And the number of the children which Pharaoh slew was three
hundred and seventy-five.
33 But the Lord hearkened not to the physicians of the king of
Egypt, and the plague went on increasing mightily.
34 And Pharaoh was ten years afflicted with that plague, still
the heart of Pharaoh was more hardened against the children of
Israel.
35 And at the end of ten years the Lord continued to afflict Pharaoh
with destructive plagues.
36 And the Lord smote him with a bad tumor and sickness at the
stomach, and that plague turned to a severe boil.
37 At that time the two ministers of Pharaoh came from the land
of Goshen where all the children of Israel were, and went to the
house of Pharaoh and said to him, We have seen the children of
Israel slacken in their work and negligent in their labor.
38 And when Pharaoh heard the words of his ministers, his anger
was kindled against the children of Israel exceedingly, for he
was greatly grieved at his bodily pain.
39 And he answered and said, Now that the children of Israel know
that I am ill, they turn and scoff at us, now therefore harness
my chariot for me, and I will betake myself to Goshen and will
see the scoff of the children of Israel with which they are deriding
me; so his servants harnessed the chariot for him.
40 And they took and made him ride upon a horse, for he was not
able to ride of himself;
41 And he took with him ten horsemen and ten footmen, and went
to the children of Israel to Goshen.
42 And when they had come to the border of Egypt, the king's horse
passed into a narrow place, elevated in the hollow part of the
vineyard, fenced on both sides, the low, plain country being on
the other side.
43 And the horses ran rapidly in that place and pressed each other,
and the other horses pressed the king's horse.
44 And the king's horse fell into the low plain whilst the king
was riding upon it, and when he fell the chariot turned over the
king's face and the horse lay upon the king, and the king cried
out, for his flesh was very sore.
45 And the flesh of the king was torn from him, and his bones were
broken and he could not ride, for this thing was from the Lord
to him, for the Lord had heard the cries of his people the children
of Israel and their affliction.
46 And his servants carried him upon their shoulders, a little
at a time, and they brought him back to Egypt, and the horsemen
who were with him came also back to Egypt.
47 And they placed him in his bed, and the king knew that his end
was come to die, so Aparanith the queen his wife came and cried
before the king, and the king wept a great weeping with her.
48 And all his nobles and servants came on that day and saw the
king in that affliction, and wept a great weeping with him.
49 And the princes of the king and all his counselors advised the
king to cause one to reign in his stead in the land, whomsoever
he should choose from his sons.
50 And the king had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith
the queen his wife had borne to him, besides the king's children
of concubines.
51 And these were their names, the firstborn Othri, the second
Adikam, and the third Morion, and their sisters, the name of the
elder Bathia and of the other Acuzi.
52 And Othri the first born of the king was an idiot, precipitate
and hurried in his words.
53 But Adikam was a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the
wisdom of Egypt, but of unseemly aspect, thick in flesh, and very
short in stature; his height was one cubit.
54 And when the king saw Adikam his son intelligent and wise in
all things, the king resolved that he should be king in his stead
after his death.
55 And he took for him a wife Gedudah daughter of Abilot, and he
was ten years old, and she bare unto him four sons.
56 And he afterward went and took three wives and begat eight sons
and three daughters.
57 And the disorder greatly prevailed over the king, and his flesh
stank like the flesh of a carcass cast upon the field in summer
time, during the heat of the sun.
58 And when the king saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened
itself over him, he ordered his son Adikam to be brought to him,
and they made him king over the land in his place.
59 And at the end of three years, the king died, in shame, disgrace,
and disgust, and his servants carried him and buried him in the
sepulcher of the kings of Egypt in Zoan Mizraim.
60 But they embalmed him not as was usual with kings, for his flesh
was putrid, and they could not approach to embalm him on account
of the stench, so they buried him in haste.
61 For this evil was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had requited
him evil for the evil which in his days he had done to Israel.
62 And he died with terror and with shame, and his son Adikam reigned
in his place.
CHAPTER 77
1 Adikam was twenty years old when he reigned over Egypt, he reigned
four years.
2 In the two hundred and sixth year of Israel's going down to Egypt
did Adikam reign over Egypt, but he continued not so long in his
reign over Egypt as his fathers had continued their reigns.
3 For Melol his father reigned ninety-four years in Egypt, but
he was ten years sick and died, for he had been wicked before the
Lord.
4 And all the Egyptians called the name of Adikam Pharaoh like
the name of his fathers, as was their custom to do in Egypt.
5 And all the wise men of Pharaoh called the name of Adikam Ahuz,
for short is called Ahuz in the Egyptian language.
6 And Adikam was exceedingly ugly, and he was a cubit and a span
and he had a great beard which reached to the soles of his feet.
7 And Pharaoh sat upon his father's throne to reign over Egypt,
and he conducted the government of Egypt in his wisdom.
8 And whilst he reigned he exceeded his father and all the preceding
kings in wickedness, and he increased his yoke over the children
of Israel.
9 And he went with his servants to Goshen to the children of Israel,
and he strengthened the labor over them and he said unto them,
Complete your work, each day's task, and let not your hands slacken
from our work from this day forward as you did in the days of my
father.
10 And he placed officers over them from amongst the children of
Israel, and over these officers he placed taskmasters from amongst
his servants.
11 And he placed over them a measure of bricks for them to do according
to that number, day by day, and he turned back and went to Egypt.
12 At that time the task-masters of Pharaoh ordered the officers
of the children of Israel according to the command of Pharaoh,
saying,
13 Thus says Pharaoh, Do your work each day, and finish your task,
and observe the daily measure of bricks; diminish not anything.
14 And it shall come to pass that if you are deficient in your
daily bricks, I will put your young children in their stead.
15 And the task-masters of Egypt did so in those days as Pharaoh
had ordered them.
16 And whenever any deficiency was found in the children of Israel's
measure of their daily bricks, the task-masters of Pharaoh would
go to the wives of the children of Israel and take infants of the
children of Israel to the number of bricks deficient, they would
take them by force from their mother's laps, and put them in the
building instead of the bricks;
17 Whilst their fathers and mothers were crying over them and weeping
when they heard the weeping voices of their infants in the wall
of the building.
18 And the task-masters prevailed over Israel, that the Israelites
should place their children in the building, so that a man placed
his son in the wall and put mortar over him, whilst his eyes wept
over him, and his tears ran down upon his child.
19 And the task-masters of Egypt did so to the babes of Israel
for many days, and no one pitied or had compassion over the babes
of the children of Israel.
20 And the number of all the children killed in the building was
two hundred and seventy, some whom they had built upon instead
of the bricks which had been left deficient by their fathers, and
some whom they had drawn out dead from the building.
21 And the labor imposed upon the children of Israel in the days
of Adikam exceeded in hardship that which they performed in the
days of his father.
22 And the children of Israel sighed every day on account of their
heavy work, for they had said to themselves, Behold when Pharaoh
shall die, his son will rise up and lighten our work!
23 But they increased the latter work more than the former, and
the children of Israel sighed at this and their cry ascended to
God on account of their labor.
24 And God heard the voice of the children of Israel and their
cry, in those days, and God remembered to them his covenant which
he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
25 And God saw the burden of the children of Israel, and their
heavy work in those days, and he determined to deliver them.
26 And Moses the son of Amram was still confined in the dungeon
in those days, in the house of Reuel the Midianite, and Zipporah
the daughter of Reuel did support him with food secretly day by
day.
27 And Moses was confined in the dungeon in the house of Reuel
for ten years.
28 And at the end of ten years which was the first year of the
reign of Pharaoh over Egypt, in the place of his father,
29 Zipporah said to her father Reuel, No person inquires or seeks
after the Hebrew man, whom thou didst bind in prison now ten years.
30 Now therefore, if it seem good in thy sight, let us send and
see whether he is living or dead, but her father knew not that
she had supported him.
31 And Reuel her father answered and said to her, Has ever such
a thing happened that a man should be shut up in a prison without
food for ten years, and that he should live?
32 And Zipporah answered her father, saying, Surely thou hast heard
that the God of the Hebrews is great and awful, and does wonders
for them at all times.
33 He it was who delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, and
Isaac from the sword of his father, and Jacob from the angel of
the Lord who wrestled with him at the ford of Jabbuk.
34 Also with this man has he done many things, he delivered him
from the river in Egypt and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from
the children of Cush, so also can he deliver him from famine and
make him live.
35 And the thing seemed good in the sight of Reuel, and he did
according to the word of his daughter, and sent to the dungeon
to ascertain what became of Moses.
36 And he saw, and behold the man Moses was living in the dungeon,
standing upon his feet, praising and praying to the God of his
ancestors.
37 And Reuel commanded Moses to be brought out of the dungeon,
so they shaved him and he changed his prison garments and ate bread.
38 And afterward Moses went into the garden of Reuel which was
behind the house, and he there prayed to the Lord his God, who
had done mighty wonders for him.
39 And it was that whilst he prayed he looked opposite to him,
and behold a sapphire stick was placed in the ground, which was
planted in the midst of the garden.
40 And he approached the stick and he looked, and behold the name
of the Lord God of hosts was engraved thereon, written and developed
upon the stick.
41 And he read it and stretched forth his hand and he plucked it
like a forest tree from the thicket, and the stick was in his hand.
42 And this is the stick with which all the works of our God were
performed, after he had created heaven and earth, and all the host
of them, seas, rivers and all their fishes.
43 And when God had driven Adam from the garden of Eden, he took
the stick in his hand and went and tilled the ground from which
he was taken.
44 And the stick came down to Noah and was given to Shem and his
descendants, until it came into the hand of Abraham the Hebrew.
45 And when Abraham had given all he had to his son Isaac, he also
gave to him this stick.
46 And when Jacob had fled to Padan-aram, he took it into his hand,
and when he returned to his father he had not left it behind him.
47 Also when he went down to Egypt he took it into his hand and
gave it to Joseph, one portion above his brethren, for Jacob had
taken it by force from his brother Esau.
48 And after the death of Joseph, the nobles of Egypt came into
the house of Joseph, and the stick came into the hand of Reuel
the Midianite, and when he went out of Egypt, he took it in his
hand and planted it in his garden.
49 And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when
they endeavored to get Zipporah his daughter, but they were unsuccessful.
50 So that stick remained planted in the garden of Reuel, until
he came who had a right to it and took it.
51 And when Reuel saw the stick in the hand of Moses, he wondered
at it, and he gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife.
CHAPTER 78
1 At that time died Baal Channan son of Achbor, king of Edom, and
was buried in his house in the land of Edom.
2 And after his death the children of Esau sent to the land of
Edom, and took from there a man who was in Edom, whose name was
Hadad, and they made him king over them in the place of Baal Channan,
their king.
3 And Hadad reigned over the children of Edom forty-eight years.
4 And when he reigned he resolved to fight against the children
of Moab, to bring them under the power of the children of Esau
as they were before, but he was not able, because the children
of Moab heard this thing, and they rose up and hastened to elect
a king over them from amongst their brethren.
5 And they afterward gathered together a great people, and sent
to the children of Ammon their brethren for help to fight against
Hadad king of Edom.
6 And Hadad heard the thing which the children of Moab had done,
and was greatly afraid of them, and refrained from fighting against
them.
7 In those days Moses, the son of Amram, in Midian, took Zipporah,
the daughter of Reuel the Midianite, for a wife.
8 And Zipporah walked in the ways of the daughters of Jacob, she
was nothing short of the righteousness of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel
and Leah.
9 And Zipporah conceived and bare a son and he called his name
Gershom, for he said, I was a stranger in a foreign land; but he
circumcised not his foreskin, at the command of Reuel his father-in-law.
10 And she conceived again and bare a son, but circumcised his
foreskin, and called his name Eliezer, for Moses said, Because
the God of my fathers was my help, and delivered me from the sword
of Pharaoh.
11 And Pharaoh king of Egypt greatly increased the labor of the
children of Israel in those days, and continued to make his yoke
heavier upon the children of Israel.
12 And he ordered a proclamation to be made in Egypt, saying, Give
no more straw to the people to make bricks with, let them go and
gather themselves straw as they can find it.
13 Also the tale of bricks which they shall make let them give
each day, and diminish nothing from them, for they are idle in
their work.
14 And the children of Israel heard this, and they mourned and
sighed, and they cried unto the Lord on account of the bitterness
of their souls.
15 And the Lord heard the cries of the children of Israel, and
saw the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them.
16 And the Lord was jealous of his people and his inheritance,
and heard their voice, and he resolved to take them out of the
affliction of Egypt, to give them the land of Canaan for a possession.
CHAPTER 79
1 And in those days Moses was feeding the flock of Reuel the Midianite
his father-in-law, beyond the wilderness of Sin, and the stick
which he took from his father-in-law was in his hand.
2 And it came to pass one day that a kid of goats strayed from
the flock, and Moses pursued it and it came to the mountain of
God to Horeb.
3 And when he came to Horeb, the Lord appeared there unto him in
the bush, and he found the bush burning with fire, but the fire
had no power over the bush to consume it.
4 And Moses was greatly astonished at this sight, wherefore the
bush was not consumed, and he approached to see this mighty thing,
and the Lord called unto Moses out of the fire and commanded him
to go down to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send the children
of Israel from his service.
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, return to Egypt, for all those
men who sought thy life are dead, and thou shalt speak unto Pharaoh
to send forth the children of Israel from his land.
6 And the Lord showed him to do signs and wonders in Egypt before
the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his subjects, in order that
they might believe that the Lord had sent him.
7 And Moses hearkened to all that the Lord had commanded him, and
he returned to his father-in-law and told him the thing, and Reuel
said to him, Go in peace.
8 And Moses rose up to go to Egypt, and he took his wife and sons
with him, and he was at an inn in the road, and an angel of God
came down, and sought an occasion against him.
9 And he wished to kill him on account of his first born son, because
he had not circumcised him, and had transgressed the covenant which
the Lord had made with Abraham.
10 For Moses had hearkened to the words of his father-in-law which
he had spoken to him, not to circumcise his first born son, therefore
he circumcised him not.
11 And Zipporah saw the angel of the Lord seeking an occasion against
Moses, and she knew that this thing was owing to his not having
circumcised her son Gershom.
12 And Zipporah hastened and took of the sharp rock stones that
were there, and she circumcised her son, and delivered her husband
and her son from the hand of the angel of the Lord.
13 And Aaron the son of Amram, the brother of Moses, was in Egypt
walking at the river side on that day.
14 And the Lord appeared to him in that place, and he said to him,
Go now toward Moses in the wilderness, and he went and met him
in the mountain of God, and he kissed him.
15 And Aaron lifted up his eyes, and saw Zipporah the wife of Moses
and her children, and he said unto Moses, Who are these unto thee?
16 And Moses said unto him, They are my wife and sons, which God
gave to me in Midian; and the thing grieved Aaron on account of
the woman and her children.
17 And Aaron said to Moses, Send away the woman and her children
that they may go to her father's house, and Moses hearkened to
the words of Aaron, and did so.
18 And Zipporah returned with her children, and they went to the
house of Reuel, and remained there until the time arrived when
the Lord had visited his people, and brought them forth from Egypt
from the hand at Pharaoh.
19 And Moses and Aaron came to Egypt to the community of the children
of Israel, and they spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and
the people rejoiced an exceeding great rejoicing.
20 And Moses and Aaron rose up early on the next day, and they
went to the house of Pharaoh, and they took in their hands the
stick of God.
21 And when they came to the king's gate, two young lions were
confined there with iron instruments, and no person went out or
came in from before them, unless those whom the king ordered to
come, when the conjurors came and withdrew the lions by their incantations,
and this brought them to the king.
22 And Moses hastened and lifted up the stick upon the lions, and
he loosed them, and Moses and Aaron came into the king's house.
23 The lions also came with them in joy, and they followed them
and rejoiced as a dog rejoices over his master when he comes from
the field.
24 And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and
he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was
like the appearance of the children of God.
25 And Pharaoh said to Moses, What do you require? and they answered
him, saying, The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent us to thee, to
say, Send forth my people that they may serve me.
26 And when Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified
before them, and he said to them, Go today and come back to me
tomorrow, and they did according to the word of the king.
27 And when they had gone Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician
and to Jannes and Jambres his sons, and to all the magicians and
conjurors and counsellors which belonged to the king, and they
all came and sat before the king.
28 And the king told them all the words which Moses and his brother
Aaron had spoken to him, and the magicians said to the king, But
how came the men to thee, on account of the lions which were confined
at the gate?
29 And the king said, Because they lifted up their rod against
the lions and loosed them, and came to me, and the lions also rejoiced
at them as a dog rejoices to meet his master.
30 And Balaam the son of Beor the magician answered the king, saying,
These are none else than magicians like ourselves.
31 Now therefore send for them, and let them come and we will try
them, and the king did so.
32 And in the morning Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron to come
before the king, and they took the rod of God, and came to the
king and spoke to him, saying,
33 Thus said the Lord God of the Hebrews, Send my people that they
may serve me.
34 And the king said to them, But who will believe you that you
are the messengers of God and that you come to me by his order?
35 Now therefore give a wonder or sign in this matter, and then
the words which you speak will be believed.
36 And Aaron hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before
Pharaoh and before his servants, and the rod turned into a serpent.
37 And the sorcerers saw this and they cast each man his rod upon
the ground and they became serpents.
38 And the serpent of Aaron's rod lifted up its head and opened
its mouth to swallow the rods of the magicians.
39 And Balaam the magician answered and said, This thing has been
from the days of old, that a serpent should swallow its fellow,
and that living things devour each other.
40 Now therefore restore it to a rod as it was at first, and we
will also restore our rods as they were at first, and if thy rod
shall swallow our rods, then shall we know that the spirit of God
is in thee, and if not, thou art only an artificer like unto ourselves.
41 And Aaron hastened and stretched forth his hand and caught hold
of the serpent's tail and it became a rod in his hand, and the
sorcerers did the like with their rods, and they got hold, each
man of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first.
42 And when they were restored to rods, the rod of Aaron swallowed
up their rods.
43 And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records
that related to the kings of Egypt, to be brought, and they brought
the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of Egypt, in which
all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding
therein the name of Jehovah, but they found it not.
44 And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, Behold I have not found
the name of your God written in this book, and his name I know
not.
45 And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, We have
heard that the God of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son
of ancient kings.
46 And Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, I know
not the Lord whom you have declared, neither will I send his people.
47 And they answered and said to the king, The Lord God of Gods
is his name, and he proclaimed his name over us from the days of
our ancestors, and sent us, saying, Go to Pharaoh and say unto
him, Send my people that they may serve me.
48 Now therefore send us, that we may take a journey for three
days in the wilderness, and there may sacrifice to him, for from
the days of our going down to Egypt, he has not taken from our
hands either burnt offering, oblation or sacrifice, and if thou
wilt not send us, his anger will be kindled against thee, and he
will smite Egypt either with the plague or with the sword.
49 And Pharaoh said to them, Tell me now his power and his might;
and they said to him, He created the heaven and the earth, the
seas and all their fishes, he formed the light, created the darkness,
caused rain upon the earth and watered it, and made the herbage
and grass to sprout, he created man and beast and the animals of
the forest, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and by
his mouth they live and die.
50 Surely he created thee in thy mother's womb, and put into thee
the breath of life, and reared thee and placed thee upon the royal
throne of Egypt, and he will take thy breath and soul from thee,
and return thee to the ground whence thou wast taken.
51 And the anger of the king was kindled at their words, and he
said to them, But who amongst all the Gods of nations can do this?
my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
52 And he drove them from him, and he ordered the labor upon Israel
to be more severe than it was yesterday and before.
53 And Moses and Aaron went out from the king's presence, and they
saw the children of Israel in an evil condition for the task-masters
had made their labor exceedingly heavy.
54 And Moses returned to the Lord and said, Why hast thou ill treated
thy people? for since I came to speak to Pharaoh what thou didst
send me for, he has exceedingly ill used the children of Israel.
55 And the Lord said to Moses, Behold thou wilt see that with an
outstretched hand and heavy plagues, Pharaoh will send the children
of Israel from his land.
56 And Moses and Aaron dwelt amongst their brethren the children
of Israel in Egypt.
57 And as for the children of Israel the Egyptians embittered their
lives, with the heavy work which they imposed upon them.
CHAPTER 80
1 And at the end of two years, the Lord again sent Moses to Pharaoh
to bring forth the children of Israel, and to send them out of
the land of Egypt.
2 And Moses went and came to the house of Pharaoh, and he spoke
to him the words of the Lord who had sent him, but Pharaoh would
not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and God roused his might
in Egypt upon Pharaoh and his subjects, and God smote Pharaoh and
his people with very great and sore plagues.
3 And the Lord sent by the hand of Aaron and turned all the waters
of Egypt into blood, with all their streams and rivers.
4 And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked
into his pitcher, and behold all the water was turned into blood;
and when he came to drink from his cup the water in the cup became
blood.
5 And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their
appearance was turned to that of blood.
6 And the Lord sent again and caused all their waters to bring
forth frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians.
7 And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with
frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the
river.
8 And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs,
also when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs.
9 Notwithstanding all this the anger of the Lord did not turn from
them, and his hand was stretched out against all the Egyptians
to smite them with every heavy plague.
10 And he sent and smote their dust to lice, and the lice became
in Egypt to the height of two cubits upon the earth.
11 The lice were also very numerous, in the flesh of man and beast,
in all the inhabitants of Egypt, also upon the king and queen the
Lord sent the lice, and it grieved Egypt exceedingly on account
of the lice.
12 Notwithstanding this, the anger of the Lord did not turn away,
and his hand was still stretched out over Egypt.
13 And the Lord sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Egypt,
and they came and destroyed all Egypt, man and beast, and trees,
and all things that were in Egypt.
14 And the Lord sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels,
toads, together with others creeping in dust.
15 Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs and gnats, each swarm according
to its kind.
16 And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind
came to Egypt and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly.
17 And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians.
18 And the hornet came upon them and drove them away, and they
removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them.
19 And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm
of animals, they locked their doors after them, and God ordered
the Sulanuth which was in the sea, to come up and go into Egypt.
20 And she had long arms, ten cubits in length of the cubit of
a man.
21 And she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and
flooring and cut them, and stretched forth her arm into the house
and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Egypt.
22 Afterward came the swarm of animals into the houses of Egypt,
and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved
them exceedingly.
23 Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away
from the Egyptians, and his hand was yet stretched forth against
them.
24 And God sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt,
in the horses and asses, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and
sheep and in man.
25 And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take
their cattle to pasture they found all their cattle dead.
26 And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in
ten, and of the cattle belonging to Israel in Goshen not one died.
27 And God sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians,
which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the
Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads.
28 And many boils were in their flesh, that their flesh wasted
away until they became rotten and putrid.
29 Notwithstanding this the anger of the Lord did not turn away,
and his hand was still stretched out over all Egypt.
30 And the Lord sent a very heavy hail, which smote their vines
and broke their fruit trees and dried them up that they fell upon
them.
31 Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling
fire descended amidst the hail, therefore the hail and the fire
consumed all things.
32 Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames
of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted.
33 And the Lord sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt, the
Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole, locusts each of its kind,
which devoured all that the hail had left remaining.
34 Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed
the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and
salted them for food.
35 And the Lord turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away
all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into
the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Egypt.
36 And God sent darkness upon Egypt, that the whole land of Egypt
and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not
see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth.
37 At that time died many of the people of Israel who had rebelled
against the Lord and who would not hearken to Moses and Aaron,
and believed not in them that God had sent them.
38 And who had said, We will not go forth from Egypt lest we perish
with hunger in a desolate wilderness, and who would not hearken
to the voice of Moses.
39 And the Lord plagued them in the three days of darkness, and
the Israelites buried them in those days, without the Egyptians
knowing of them or rejoicing over them.
40 And the darkness was very great in Egypt for three days, and
any person who was standing when the darkness came, remained standing
in his place, and he that was sitting remained sitting, and he
that was lying continued lying in the same state, and he that was
walking remained sitting upon the ground in the same spot; and
this thing happened to all the Egyptians, until the darkness had
passed away.
41 And the days of darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses
and Aaron to the children of Israel, saying, Celebrate your feast
and make your Passover, for behold I come in the midst of the night
amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first born,
from the first born of a man to the first born of a beast, and
when I see your Passover, I will pass over you.
42 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord
had commanded Moses and Aaron, thus did they in that night.
43 And it came to pass in the middle of the night, that the Lord
went forth in the midst of Egypt, and smote all the first born
of the Egyptians, from the first born of man to the first born
of beast.
44 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and
all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry throughout Egypt in
that night, for there was not a house in which there was not a
corpse.
45 Also the likenesses of the first born of Egypt, which were carved
in the walls at their houses, were destroyed and fell to the ground.
46 Even the bones of their first born who had died before this
and whom they had buried in their houses, were raked up by the
dogs of Egypt on that night and dragged before the Egyptians and
cast before them.
47 And all the Egyptians saw this evil which had suddenly come
upon them, and all the Egyptians cried out with a loud voice.
48 And all the families of Egypt wept upon that night, each man
for his son and each man for his daughter, being the first born,
and the tumult of Egypt was heard at a distance on that night.
49 And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh went forth with the king
on that night to seek Moses and Aaron in their houses, and they
found them in their houses, eating and drinking and rejoicing with
all Israel.
50 And Bathia said to Moses, Is this the reward for the good which
I have done to thee, who have reared thee and stretched thee out,
and thou hast brought this evil upon me and my father's house?
51 And Moses said to her, Surely ten plagues did the Lord bring
upon Egypt; did any evil accrue to thee from any of them? did one
of them affect thee? and she said, No.
52 And Moses said to her, Although thou art the first born to thy
mother, thou shalt not die, and no evil shall reach thee in the
midst of Egypt.
53 And she said, What advantage is it to me, when I see the king,
my brother, and all his household and subjects in this evil, whose
first born perish with all the first born of Egypt?
54 And Moses said to her, Surely thy brother and his household,
and subjects, the families of Egypt, would not hearken to the words
of the Lord, therefore did this evil come upon them.
55 And Pharaoh king of Egypt approached Moses and Aaron, and some
of the children of Israel who were with them in that place, and
he prayed to them, saying,
56 Rise up and take your brethren, all the children of Israel who
are in the land, with their sheep and oxen, and all belonging to
them, they shall leave nothing remaining, only pray for me to the
Lord your God.
57 And Moses said to Pharaoh, Behold though thou art thy mother's
first born, yet fear not, for thou wilt not die, for the Lord has
commanded that thou shalt live, in order to show thee his great
might and strong stretched out arm.
58 And Pharaoh ordered the children of Israel to be sent away,
and all the Egyptians strengthened themselves to send them, for
they said, We are all perishing.
59 And all the Egyptians sent the Israelites forth, with great
riches, sheep and oxen and precious things, according to the oath
of the Lord between him and our Father Abraham.
60 And the children of Israel delayed going forth at night, and
when the Egyptians came to them to bring them out, they said to
them, Are we thieves, that we should go forth at night?
61 And the children of Israel asked of the Egyptians, vessels of
silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and the children of
Israel stripped the Egyptians.
62 And Moses hastened and rose up and went to the river of Egypt,
and brought up from thence the coffin of Joseph and took it with
him.
63 The children of Israel also brought up, each man his father's
coffin with him, and each man the coffins of his tribe.