14. The locusts went up over the entire land of Egypt and settled on the whole territory of Egypt. Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again.
15. They covered the surface of the whole land so that the land was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.
16. Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you.
17. Please forgive my sin once more and make an appeal to Yahweh your God, so that He will take this death away from me.”
18. Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the Lord.
19. Then the Lord changed the wind to a strong west wind, and it carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.
20. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the Israelites go.
21. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.”
22. So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days.
23. One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.
24. Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship Yahweh. Even your families may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25. Moses responded, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to prepare for Yahweh our God.
26. Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind because we will take some of them to worship Yahweh our God. We will not know what we will use to worship Yahweh until we get there.”
27. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.