Pharaoh Plots Against Israel and Curses Himself Unknowing

"Come, let us deal wisely with him." With the Holy One, blessed be He: Pharaoh blasphemed toward Heaven. He said, "Come, let us deal wisely with Him, the Savior of Israel. By what shall we judge them? Let us judge them with fire — but Abraham was saved from the fire. Let us judge them with the sword — but Isaac their father was saved from the sword. Let us judge them with stoning — but Jacob their father was saved from stoning. Come, let us judge them with water, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that He will not bring a flood upon the world, as it is said, 'as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth' (Isaiah 54:9)." But they did not know that He does not bring it upon the whole world entirely, yet upon a single nation He does bring it. Another interpretation: He does not bring it upon them, but they themselves come and fall into it, as it is written, "and the Egyptians fled toward it" (Exodus 14:27). And so it says, "for in the thing wherein they dealt presumptuously, it was against them" (Exodus 18:11): in the pot in which they cooked, they themselves were cooked. "Zadon" (presumption) is a term of cooking, as it is said, "and Jacob cooked a stew" (Genesis 25:29). "Lest they multiply." The Holy Spirit said to them: You say "lest they multiply," but I say, "so they multiplied and so they broke forth" (verse 12). "And fight against us and go up out of the land." About Egypt they said that Israel would fight against them and drive them out of the land; and if so, he should have said, "and we will go up out of the land." Why did he say, "and go up"? This is like a man who curses himself and hangs his curse upon others.