1The Lord told Moses, “There's one last plague I will bring down on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that he will let you go, but when he does, he'll expel every one of you from the country.

2Now go and tell the Israelites, both men and women, to ask their Egyptian neighbors for silver and gold objects.”

3The Lord made the Egyptians look favorably on the Israelites. In fact, Moses himself was highly respected in Egypt by both Pharaoh's officials and the ordinary people.

4Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: Around midnight I will go through the whole of Egypt.

5Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the servant girl working with a handmill, as well as all the firstborn of the cattle.

6There will be loud cries of mourning all over Egypt, such as have never been before, and will never be again.

7But among all the Israelites there won't even be the sound of a dog barking at them or their animals. That way you will know that the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.

8All your officials will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Leave, and take everyone who follows you with you!’ After that I will leave.” Moses was very angry, and left Pharaoh.

9The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh is refusing to listen to you so I can do even more miracles in Egypt.”

10Moses and Aaron did these miracles before Pharaoh, but the Lord gave Pharaoh a stubborn attitude, and he wouldn't let the Israelites leave his country.