The Ten Plagues of Egypt and the Passover.

EN dreadful plagues by God were sent,

With every kind of woe,

Before King Pharaoh would repent,
And let the Hebrews go.

First, Moses stretching out his hand,
The waters turn to blood;

Frogs, lice, and flies fill all the land,
Polluting Egypt's food.

The cattle die, and boils and blains
Both man and beast torment;
Then hail, and storm, and fiery rains
At once by God are sent.

The east wind blows, and locusts throng;
Trees perish where they 'light;

And next a darkness, three days long,
Fills Egypt with affright.

Still, Pharaoh's stubborn heart to melt,

Ev'ry first-born must die;

This last and dreadful plague is felt-
He bids the Hebrews fly.

But first they eat the Paschal Lamb,
Whose blood has saved their lives,―

Fit emblem of the Lamb Divine,
Whose blood redemption gives.

CHAPTER X.

The Ten Plagues. Pharaoh's Heart is hardened. The Passover. At last Pharaoh drives the Hebrews out of Egypt.

ND the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning lo, he goeth out unto the water, and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he comes, and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness, and behold hitherto thou wouldst not hear. Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded. And all the waters were turned to blood, and the fish died, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water, and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh's heart was

hardened, and he turned and went into his house. And seven days passed away. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold I will smite all thy borders with frogs. And the frogs shall come up both on thee and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. And Aaron stretched forth his hand with his rod, and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the Lord, that He may take away the frogs, and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord. And Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died, and they gathered them together in heaps. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and would not let the people go. And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. So there were lice upon man and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them. Then the Lord sent a plague of flies upon the Egyptians, and the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of

the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and withhold them still, behold the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field; upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died. But of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven, in the sight of Pharaoh. And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven. And it became a boil, breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. But Pharaoh hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail,

and the fire ran along upon the ground. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time. Intreat the Lord that there be no more thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer. And Moses spread abroad his hands unto the Lord, and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants; neither would he let the people go.

And the Lord sent Moses again to Pharaoh. And Moses and Aaron came in unto him and said, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go, else if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow I will bring the locusts into thy coast. But Pharaoh still refused. And they were driven out from his presence.

Then, at the word of God, Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning the east wind brought the locusts. Very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them