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Spiritual Gifts, Volume 3
all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou
wilt not let them go? Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it
to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the
foundation thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy
cattle, and all that thou hast in the field, for upon every man and beast
which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the
hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared
the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants
and his cattle flee into the houses. And he that regarded not the word
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of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field. And the Lord
said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there
may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and
upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses
stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and
hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail
upon the land of Egypt.”
Those who regarded the word of the Lord gathered their cattle
into barns and houses, while those whose hearts were hardened, like
Pharaoh’s, left their cattle in the field. Here was an opportunity to
test the exalted pride of the Egyptians, and to show the number whose
hearts were really affected by the wonderful dealings of God with his
people, whom they had despised and cruelly entreated. “So there was
hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was
none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the
hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field,
both man and beast. And the hail smote every herb of the field, and
brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the
children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent, and called
for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time. The
Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord
(for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail,
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and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto
him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my
hands unto the Lord, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be
any more hail, that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s.
But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the
Lord God. And the flax and the barley was smitten, for the barley was