Exodus 10 continues the account of God's judgment on Egypt through two additional plagues, the eighth and ninth, as Pharaoh persistently refused to release the Israelites from slavery. The LORD told Moses that He had hardened Pharaoh's heart deliberately so that these miraculous signs would be remembered and passed down through generations as testimony to His power.
Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh and warned him that, if he refused to let the people go, an overwhelming swarm of locusts would descend on the land. The locusts would cover every visible patch of ground and devour whatever crops had survived the previous plague of hail. Pharaoh's own officials pleaded with him to relent, asking how long he would allow this man Moses to bring ruin upon Egypt. Pharaoh briefly seemed willing to negotiate, asking which Israelites specifically needed to go. When Moses replied that all the people (along with their flocks and herds) would need to leave, Pharaoh refused, agreeing to let only the men go. He then ordered Moses and Aaron to leave.
The LORD instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over Egypt, and an east wind blew through the night, bringing with it an enormous swarm of locusts the next morning. The infestation was worse than any Egypt had ever seen, and the locusts consumed every plant and fruit that remained in the land, leaving nothing green anywhere in Egypt. Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron, confessing that he had sinned and begging for the plague to be removed. Moses prayed on his behalf, and the LORD sent a powerful west wind that swept every locust into the Red sea. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart again, and Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go.
The ninth plague then came without warning. The LORD told Moses to stretch his hand toward the sky, and a thick, tangible darkness fell over all of Egypt for three days. The darkness was so dense that people couldn't see one another or go anywhere. But the Israelites had light in their dwellings.
Pharaoh summoned Moses once more and offered a compromise, this time saying all of the Israelites could go — men, women, and children — but they would have to leave their livestock behind. Moses rejected this, insisting that all of their animals must accompany them, since they didn't know yet exactly what offerings the LORD their God would require. Once again the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh refused to let them go. He dismissed Moses and warned him never to appear before him again, threatening death if he did. Moses agreed, telling Pharaoh that he would indeed not see his face again.
