Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus Reader

When Pharoh talketh with you, saying, Give us a miracle, thou shalt say to Aharon, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharoh, and it shall become a basilisk-serpent; for all the inhabiters of the earth shall hear the voice of the shriek of Mizraim when I shatter them, as all the creatures heard the shriek of the serpent when made naked at the beginning.

And Mosheh and Aharon went in unto Pharoh, and did as the Lord had commanded. And Aharon threw down the rod before the sight of Pharoh, and before the sight of his servants, and it became a basilisk.

They threw down each man his rod, and they became basilisks; but were forthwith changed to be what they were at first; and the rod of Aharon swallowed up their rods.

Go unto Pharoh in the morning: behold, he cometh forth to observe divinations at the water as a magician; so shalt thou prepare thee to meet him on the bank of the river, and Aharon's rod that was changed to be a serpent thou shalt take in thy hand.

And thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of the Jehudaee hath sent me unto thee, saying Release My people, that they may serve Me in the desert; and, behold, as yet thou bast not hearkened.

Thus saith the Lord: By this sign thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold, with the rod that is in my hand, I will smite the waters of the river, and they shall be changed into blood.

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Tell Aharon, Take thy rod and stretch forth thy hand over the waters of the Mizraee over their rivers, Over their trenches, over their canals, and over every place for collecting their waters, and they will become blood; and there shall be blood in all the land of Mizraim, and in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.

And Mosheh and Aharon did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters of the river in the sight of Pharoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters of the river were turned into blood;

and the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Mizraee could not drink of the waters, of the river and the plague of blood was in all the land of Mizraim.

But so (also) did the astrologers of Mizraim by their burnings, and turned the waters of Goshen into blood. And the design of Pharoh's heart was strengthened, and he would not hearken. to them, as the Lord had said.

And the river shall multiply frogs, and they shall ascend and come up into thy house, and into the bedchamber where thou sleepest, and upon thy couch; and into the house of thy servants, and among thy people, and into the ovens, and into thy baking-troughs,

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Lift up thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the trenches, and over the canals, and I will bring up the frogs upon the land of Mizraim.

And Aharon uplifted his hand over the waters of Mizraim, and the plague of frogs came up and covered the land of Mizraim. But Mosheh (himself) did not smite the waters, either with the blood or with the frogs because through them (the waters of the Nile) he had (found) safety the time that his mother laid him in the river.

And Pharoh called to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying, Pray before the Lord, that He may remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will release the people to offer the sacrifices of a feast before the Lord.

And Mosheh said to Pharoh, Glorify thyself on account of me. At what time dost thou request that I should pray for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs may be destroyed from thee and from thy house, and be left only in the river?

And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy house, and from thy servants, and from thy people; and those only that are in the river shall remain.

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Speak unto Aharon, Lift up thy rod and smite the dust of the earth, and it shall become venomous insects in all the land of Mizraim. But it shall not be by thee that the ground shall be smitten, because therein for thee was (the means of) safety when thou hadst slain the Mizraite and it received him.

And they did so, and Aharon lifted up his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the ground, and it became a plague of venomous insects upon the flesh of men and of cattle; all the dust of the earth was changed to become insects, in all the land of Mizraim.

And the astrologers wrought with their burnings to bring forth the insects, but were not able; and the plague of insects prevailed upon men and upon cattle.

And the astrologers said to Pharoh, This is not by the power or strength of Mosheh and Aharon; but this is a plague sent from before the Lord. Yet the design of Pharoh's heart was strengthened, and he would not hearken to them, as the Lord had said.

And the Lord spake to Mosheh, Arise in the morning, and stand before Pharoh: behold, be goeth forth to observe divinations at the water, as a magician; and thou shalt say to him, Thus saith the Lord, Emancipate My people, that they may worship before Me;

but if thou wilt not set My people free, behold, I will stir up among thee, and thy servants, and thy people, and thy house, a mixed multitude of wild beasts and the houses of the Mizraee shall be filled with a swarm of wild beasts, and they shall be upon the land also.

And I will do wonders that day in the land of Goshen where My people dwell, that there no swarms of wild beasts shall be; - that thou mayest know that I the Lord am the Ruler in the midst of the land.

And the Lord did so; and sent the mixed multitude of wild beasts in strength to the house of Pharoh, and to the house of his servants and in all the land of Mizraim the inhabitants of the land were devastated from the swarm of wild beasts.

But Mosheh said, It will not be right to do so; because we shall take sheep, which are the abomination of the Mizraee, and offer them before the Lord our God. Behold if we offer the abomination of the Mizraee before them, they would stone us with stones as an act of justice.

And Pharoh said, I will release you to sacrifice before the Lord your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go to a greater distance. Pray, (too,) for me.

And Mosheh said, I will go forth from thee, and pray before the Lord to remove the swarm of wild beasts from Pharoh, and from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharoh add to deceive, in not releasing the people to offer the festal sacrifices before the Lord.

and the Lord did according to the word of the prayer of Mosheh, and removed the swarm of wild beasts from Pharoh, and from his servants, and from his people; not one was left.

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Go in to Pharoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Jehudaee, Emancipate My people, that they may worship before Me.

behold, the stroke of the Lord's hand shall be as it hath not been yet, upon thy cattle that are in the field, upon the horses, and upon the asses, upon the camels, oxen, and sheep, with a very mighty death.

And the Lord will work wonders between the flocks of Israel and the flocks of the Mizraee, that not any of those which belong to the sons of Israel shall die.

And Pharoh sent certain to look; and, behold, not one of the cattle of the sons of Israel had died, not even one. But the disposition of Pharoh, heart was aggravated, and he would not release the people.

And the Lord said to Mosheh and to Aharon, Take with you hands-full of fine ashes from the furnace, and let Mosheh sprinkle them towards the height of the heavens in the sight of Pharoh.

And they took ashes of the furnace, and arose to meet Pharoh; and Mosheh sprinkled them towards the height of the heavens; and there came a boil multiplying tumours upon man and beast.

And the astrologers could not stand before Mosheh, on account of the boil; for the plague of the boil was upon the astrologers, and upon all the Mizraee.

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Arise in the morning, and place thyself before Pharoh, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Jehudaee, Emancipate My people, that they may worship before Me.

For at this time I will send upon thee a plague from the heavens, and all My plagues Wherewith I have plagued thee thou wilt cause to return upon thy heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, (plagues) which have been sent from before Me, and not from the magic of the sons of men, that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

but verily I have spared thee alive, not that I may benefit thee, but that My power may be made manifest to thee, and that My Holy Name may be made known in all the earth.

Behold, at this time tomorrow I will cause to come down from the treasures of the heavens a mighty hall, the like of which hath never been in Mizraim since the day when men were settled upon it until now.

But now send, gather together thy flocks, and all that thou hast in the field (for) upon all men and cattle that are found in the field, and not gathered together within the house, will the hail come down, and they will die.