3 Moses and Aaron went to the king and told him that the Lord God of the Hebrews had said:How long will you stubbornly refuse to obey? Release my people so they can worship me.
4 Do this by tomorrow, or I will cover your country with so many locusts
5 that you won't be able to see the ground. Most of your crops were ruined by the hailstones, but these locusts will destroy what little is left, including the trees.
6 Your palace, the homes of your officials, and all other houses in Egypt will overflow with more locusts than have ever been seen in this country.After Moses left the palace,
7 the king's officials asked, “Your Majesty, how much longer is this man going to be a troublemaker? Why don't you let the people leave, so they can worship the Lord their God? Don't you know that Egypt is a disaster?”
8 The king had Moses and Aaron brought back, and he said, “All right, you may go and worship the Lord your God. But first tell me who will be going.”
9 “Everyone, young and old,” Moses answered. “We will even take our sheep, goats, and cattle, because we want to hold a celebration in honour of the Lord.”