BRAGADAYJAH 188

But before Moses went to the Lord with Pharaoh’s request, he had a few words for the Pharaoh; for he said to him; “I will go talk to the Lord; but don’t think for one minute that I am taken in by your promise. For as for you and your servants, I know that you will not fear the Lord God. Yes your crops were smitten and so you want the hail and the thunder to stop; I know you cannot be trusted to keep your promise.” Yet Moses petitioned God and the thundering and hail stopped; and as soon as that was accomplished the Pharaoh hardened his heart again. So then the Lord commanded Moses again and told him go talk to the Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants; they will not respond to your request; but this must be in order that my power be manifest. So Moses and Aaron again appeared to the Pharaoh and told him yet again, “let God’s people go. How long will you continue to refuse to humble yourself before the Lord?” Moses asked him. “If you refuse to let the people go, this time tomorrow the Lord will send locusts into the land and they shall cover even onto the very borders of Egypt. The host of them shall be so great as to cover the entire surface of the land of Egypt. In addition they shall eat completely the entire vegetation that was left behind by the hail; and every leaf, every blade of grass, shall be eaten by the locusts. In the face of this ultimatum, the Pharaoh refused to budge; so the locusts descended all over the land, covering it like a blanket and ate every green leaf, every fruit, and every green thing that was in all the land of Egypt. At this stage Pharaoh turned to his old tricks. “Please Moses, he said; I know I have sinned; I know I have promised three times before; and I know I have failed to keep my promise. But I am begging you this very last time; ask the Lord to take away the locusts out of the land; and I will let the people go; I promise you.” And once again, Moses petitioned God, and God sent a mighty strong wind and blew away the locusts, everyone disappeared as quickly as they had come. How will the Pharaoh respond to God? More