BRAGADAHJAY 189

BRAGADAYJAH 189 The Penultimate Terror. And once again the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he failed to let the people go. So at God’s command Moses stretched his hand towards heaven and having done so, darkness descended over all the land of Egypt. The darkness was so thick and so overwhelming that people could not see one another. It was intense, thick, and bewildering. Only the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. During the three days of intense darkness the Egyptians were riveted to one place, unable to rise up or move about. At last the Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go serve your God; only you can’t take your flocks and your herds with you; but your children you may take with you.” And Moses replied and said to Pharaoh, “not so; when we go we need to take our flocks with us, so that we may have burnt offerings for a sacrifice. We must take our flocks with us; because we cannot be sure until we get there what the Lord will require of us.” But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the people go. Instead the Pharaoh decided to utter a threat of his own; so to Moses he said, “Get thee from before my presence, and be warned. Do not ever again come into my presence; for the next time I see your face before me, I will kill you!” “Sure,” Moses replied. “You have well spoken; for you shall indeed see my face no more.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Fear not. I will bring one final plague upon the Pharaoh; and after that he shall not only let you go, but will chase you out of his country altogether.”