1上主對梅瑟說:「你去見法郎,向他說:上主希伯來人的天主這樣說:你應放走我的百姓,叫他們去崇拜我。 1And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao, and speak to him: Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.
2你若拒絕不放,仍然扣留他們, 2But if thou refuse, and withhold them still:
3看,上主的手必用一種嚴厲的瘟疫加在你田野間的一切牲畜:就是馬、驢、駱駝、牛、羊身上。 3Behold my hand shall be upon thy fields: and a very grievous murrain upon thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep.
4上主要分清以色列子民的牲畜和埃及人的牲畜,凡是以色列子民的,一個也不死。 4And the Lord will make a wonderful difference between the possessions of Israel and the possessions of the Egyptians, that nothing at all shall die of those things that belong to the children of Israel.
5上主規定了時間說:明天上主要在此地實行這事。」 5And the Lord appointed a time, saying: Tomorrow will the Lord do this thing in the land.
6第二天上主便作了這事。埃及人的牲畜完全死了,但以色列子民的,一個也沒有死。 6The Lord therefore did this thing the next day: and all the beasts of the Egyptians died, but of the beasts of the children of Israel there died not one.
7法郎打發人去看,果然以色列子民的牲畜,連一個也沒有死。但是法郎仍然心硬,不肯放走百姓。 7And Pharao sent to see: and there was not any thing dead of that which Israel possessed. And Pharao's heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8上主又對梅瑟和亞郎說:「你們滿手抓把爐灰,梅瑟要在法郎眼前向天揚起。 8And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Take to you handfuls of ashes out of the chimney, and let Moses sprinkle it in the air in the presence of Pharao.
9這灰要在埃及全國變成塵土,使全埃及國的人和牲畜身上生出紅疹和膿瘡。」 9And be there dust upon all the land of Egypt: for there shall be boils and swelling blains both in men and beasts in the whole land of Egypt.
10他們就取了爐灰站在法郎面前;梅瑟將灰向天揚起,人和牲畜身上便起了紅疹和膿瘡。 10And they took ashes out of the chimney, and stood before Pharao, and Moses sprinkled it in the air: and there came boils with swelling blains in men and beasts.
11巫士們因為生了瘡,不能站在梅瑟面前,因為巫士和一切埃及人身上都生了瘡。 11Neither could the magicians stand before Moses for the boils that were upon them, and in all the land of Egypt.
12上主使法郎心硬,法郎仍不肯聽梅瑟和亞郎的話,正如上主向梅瑟說過的。 12And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
13上主對梅瑟說:「明天早晨你去見法郎,向他說:上主,希伯來人的天主這樣說:你要放走我的百姓,使他們去崇拜我。 13And the Lord said to Moses: Arise in the morning, and stand before Pharao, and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.
14因為這一次我要使我的一切災禍降到你、你的臣僕和你的人民身上,為叫你知道全世界上沒有相似我的。 14For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people: that thou mayst know there is none like me in all the earth.
15現在如果我伸手用瘟疫打擊你和你的人民,你早已從地上消滅了。 15For now I will stretch out my hand to strike thee, and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish from the earth.
16我所以保留你的原故,是為叫你看見我的能力,向全世界傳揚我的名。 16And therefore have I raised thee, that I may shew my power in thee, and my name may be spoken of throughout all the earth.
17你若仍然固執壓迫我的百姓,不放走他們, 17Dost thou yet hold back my people: and wilt thou not let them go?
18看我明天此時要降下可怕的冰雹,是埃及建國以來直到現在所未有過的。 18Behold I will cause it to rain tomorrow at this same hour, an exceeding great hail: such as hath not been in Egypt from the day that it was founded, until this present time.
19所以你快派人把你的牲畜和你田野間的一切,帶到安全地方,因為凡在田野間的人和牲畜而不聚到屋內的,冰雹必降在他們身上,將他們砸死。」 19Send therefore now presently, and gather together thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field: for men and beasts, and all things that shall be found abroad, and not gathered together out of the fields, which the hail shall fall upon, shall die.
20法郎的臣僕中凡害怕上主的話的,就叫自己的奴僕和牲畜逃避到家中; 20He that feared the word of the Lord among Pharao's servants, made his servants and his cattle flee into houses:
21那不把上主的話放在心上的,就將奴僕和牲畜捨在田野。 21But he that regarded not the word of the Lord, left his servants and his cattle in the fields:
22上主對梅瑟說:「向天伸開你的手,使冰雹降在埃及全國,降在人和牲畜身上,降在埃及國內田野間的植物上。」 22And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand towards heaven, that there may be hail in the whole land of Egypt, upon men, and upon beasts, and upon every herb of the field in the land of Egypt.
23梅瑟把他的棍杖向天一伸,上主便叫打雷,下雹,閃電打在地上。上主使冰雹降在埃及地時, 23And Moses stretched forth his rod towards heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning running along the ground: and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24冰雹和冰雹中夾雜著不停的閃電,情形極其可怕,是全埃及國自從有人民以來所沒有過的。 24And the hail and fire mixed with it drove on together: and it was of so great bigness, as never before was seen in the whole land of Egypt since that nation was founded.
25冰雹把埃及全境,田野間所有的一切,連人和牲畜都打死了,打壞了田野間的一切蔬菜,打斷了郊野的一切樹木; 25And the hail destroyed through all the land of Egypt all things that were in the fields, both man and beast: and the hail smote every herb of the field, and it broke every tree of the country.
26只有以色列子民所居住的哥笙地沒有冰雹。 26Only in the land of Gessen, where the children of Israel were, the hail fell not.
27法郎打發人召梅瑟和亞郎來,對他們說:「這次我犯了罪,上主是正義的,我和我的人民都有罪過。 27And Pharao sent and called Moses and Aaron, saying to them: I have sinned this time also; the Lord is just: I and my people are wicked.
28請你們祈求上主!天主的雷和冰雹已夠受了;我決放走你們,你們不要再留在這裡。」 28Pray ye to the Lord, that the thunderings of God and the hail may cease: that I may let you go, and that you may stay here no longer.
29梅瑟回答他說:「我出城後,就向上主伸手,雷必會停止,冰雹也不再降下,為叫你知道,大地是屬於上主的。 29Moses said: As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will stretch forth my hands to the Lord, and the thunders shall cease, and the hail shall be no more: that thou mayst know that the earth is the Lord's.
30但是我知道,你和你的臣僕,仍不敬畏上主天主。」 30But I know that neither thou, nor thy servants do yet fear the Lord God.
31麻和大麥都被打壞,因為大麥已經吐穗,麻也開花, 31The flax therefore and the barley were hurt, because the barley was green, and the flax was now boiled:
32只是小麥和粗麥,因為長的遲些,沒有被打壞。 32But the wheat, and other winter corn were not hurt, because they were lateward.
33梅瑟離開法郎出了城,向上主伸手,雷和雹就停止了,雨也不往地上下了。 33And when Moses was gone from Pharao out of the city, he stretched forth his hands to the Lord: and the thunders and the hail ceased, neither did there drop any more rain upon the earth.
34法郎見雨、雹、雷都停止了,又再犯罪,他和他的臣僕又心硬了。 34And Pharao seeing that the rain and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, increased his sin.
35法郎更加心硬,不肯放走以色列子民,正如上主藉梅瑟所說的。 35And his heart was hardened, and the heart of his servants, and it was made exceeding hard: neither did he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.
9:1-7
第五灾的特徵,是天主将同一地区的埃及人和以色列人分开,埃及人的牲畜受了害,而以色列人的,却安然无事。
9:8-12
疮疫之灾,是一种皮肤病。此灾并不严重,可能是日後的作者或编辑者为满十灾之数而加添的。
9:18-35
冰雹、蝗灾和黑暗之灾,都是从天而降。法郎已二次食言,拒绝放走以色列人。此次冰雹的破坏力,比以前的灾难更大,使法郎及其臣民恐惧不安(10:7)。虽然如此,法郎仍然背约失信。