The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people
So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
Comment: The first paragraph is God speaking to Moses. Moses is told of one more plague to come before Israel is set free. The Israelites are asked to persuade their neighbours to give them valuable things. They had been enslaved and presumably would have been poor. We are told that in the average man’s eyes Moses was a great man, and that would probably have been something to make the Egyptians generous in what the enslaved were asking as gifts – maybe to sacrifice to Jehovah. The average Egyptian, being very ‘religious’, would after all that they had witnessed, thought that Jehovah needed to be appeased.
Then Moses speaks of God making a difference between His people, the Israelis, and the Egyptians. The firstborn of every human and animal would be slain! This was the tenth chance that Pharaoh had been given to let the Israelites go. Now he would pay a terrible price! I don’t know how Moses got into Pharaoh’s presence to deliver such a message in hot anger, but he did before I imagine storming out. Then God whispered comforting words, into Moses ear, about Him being in control!
Prayer: Thank You Lord for delivering Your people from slavery!
As I read it! 