Before the tenth plague struck, God executed judgment on every idol in Egypt. Stone gods shattered into fragments. Wooden gods rotted to dust. Idols of silver, brass, iron, and lead melted into puddles on the ground. And when the Egyptians finally drowned in the Red Sea, fire descended from heaven and consumed whatever remained of their gods.
According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, Moses went personally among the Egyptian firstborn before the final plague and delivered the warning himself. "About midnight," he told them, "the Lord will go forth in the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn shall die." The firstborn panicked. They ran to their fathers and said, "Every plague Moses predicted has come true. Now he says we will die." Their fathers sent them to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh, himself a firstborn, refused to relent. He ordered his servants to beat anyone who begged him to release the Israelites.
The firstborn of Egypt took matters into their own hands. They turned on their own people and killed 600,000 Egyptians who supported Pharaoh's stubbornness. Even before God's angel arrived at midnight, Egypt was tearing itself apart from the inside.
When the Israelites finally left, Pharaoh pursued them with his chariots. At the Red Sea, God did not merely part the waters. He made the sea floor dry and comfortable for Israel while turning it into a deathtrap for Egypt. The waters crashed down on the Egyptian army like walls collapsing. Every chariot, every horse, every soldier vanished. The sea spit their bodies onto the shore so the Israelites could see with their own eyes that their oppressors were truly dead. Miriam took up her timbrel, and the women danced, because the empire that had enslaved them for generations was finished in a single night.
LIV. (1) The sages say that when God brought the
plague of the firstborn upon the Egyptians, He started first
upon their gods, as it is said, ' I shall execute judgment on
all the gods of Egypt; I am the Lord.' And what was this
smiting of their gods, since they were but images of stone ?
They were broken up into small pieces; every idol of wood
rotted and became a heap of dust, and all idols of silver,
brass, iron and lead were melted to metal sheets on the
ground; and when the Egyptians were drowned in the
Eed Sea fire descended upon their gods and consumed
them, as it is said, ' And in the abundance of Thy
majesty. Thou wilt overthrow all those who rise up against
Thee.'
(2) The sages further say that before the plague of the
firstborn descended upon them Moses went among the
firstborn in Egypt and said to them, * Thus saith the Lord,
About the time of midnight I shall go forth in the midst
of the Egyptians, and all their firstborn shall die.' There-
upon all the firstborn went to their fathers and said, ' All
the plagues which Moses foretold have come to pass;
he now says that all the firstborn are to die.' * Go to
Pharaoh,' replied their fathers, ' for he is a firstborn.'
Going to bim, they said, * Send this people away, for if you
do not, all the firstborn will perish.' Pharaoh immediately
ordered his servants to go and smite them, and be said, ' I
have once declared either my soul shall be taken or those of
the Israelites, and now you wish them to be sent away.'
Each one of them took his sword and slew his father,
as it is said, ' The smiting of the Egyptians by their
firstborn.' Nevertheless, at midnight, all the firstborn were
slain, as it is said, ' And the Lord smote all the firstborn of
the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, i.e., his
son, who also died. And Pharaoh and his servants arose
in the night on that account. (3) If an Egyptian married
five wives, having had five sons, the next day these sons
were found dead, because they were all firstborn to their
mothers. In the same manner, if a woman had married
five times and had obtained a son of each husband, all
these sons died, because they were all firstborn to their
fathers. Thus was fulfilled the statement that 'All the
firstborn of the land of Egypt should die.' In the event of
a house containing no firstborn, the eldest in the house
died. The house wherein the firstborn had died long
before, the dead came out again from the grave and died
anew within the house, causing great wailing. Therefore
it is written, * There was no house into which death did
not enter.'
(4) As soon as Pharaoh saw that his son, the son of his
wife, and the sons of his servants were dead, he meditated
within him that Moses had never once yet lied to him, and
said to his servants, ' All the time that he was near me he
used to appease; and he prayed before his Creator, and
we were then healed of all our plagues. But, a little
while ago, I was incensed against Moses, and said to
him, " Thou shalt not any longer look upon my face."
Therefore it is incumbent upon myself to go to seek him.'
Pharaoh and all his servants accordingly rose from their
beds with great weeping, and Pharaoh, going the round of
all the streets, inquired, * Where is Moses ? Where is
Moses ? Where does he dwell ?' When the Israelites saw
158 [LIV. 4
him they laughed, saymg to him, ' Pharaoh, where art
thou going, and whom dost thou seek ?' ' It is Moses your
master that I am searching for.' ' Here he Kves, here he
Hves,' said the children, all the while laughing at him,
until he at last said, 'Arise, go forth from among my
people.' But the Israelites took no notice of him until he
went to Moses' house and said, ' I entreat thee, 0 my lord,
pray to God for us.' But Moses and Aaron and all the
Israelites were at that moment in their several houses,
eating their paschal lambs and singing praises to the King
of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, and sitting at
home, and no one went out of his house, because God said
to the Israelites, * And no man of you shall go out of his
house until the morning.' (5) So that when Pharaoh came
to Moses' door, Moses said to him from within his house,
' Who art thou calling?' ' I am Pharaoh,' said he. * Why
dost thou thyself come to me ? Surely it is not customary
for kings to come to men's houses, and, moreover, at
night-time.' ' I entreat thee, go forth and pray for us, for
there is no man left in Egypt that is not dead.* ' But I
cannot go forth, for I have heard it from the mouth of God,
saying, " You shall not go forth." ' ' I beseech thee,' said
Pharaoh, 'stand at the window and let me behold thy
pleasant face.' ' But,' added Moses, ' didst thou not say to
me, "Thou shalt no more see my face"?' 'I said this
to thee before the firstborn died, but now they are already
dead. Thou hast indeed never lied before me: now,
why are they all dead ?' And Moses said, ' Dost thou
wish them to be brought to life again ?' ' Yes,' said he.
(6) 'If so, then raise thy voice and say, "0 children of
Israel, behold ye are free men, behold ye are your own
masters. Now arise and go forth from the midst of my
people. But now ye were the servants of Pharaoh, hence-
forward ye are the servants of God." ' These words
Pharaoh repeated. ' Say them again.' And Pharaoh did so.
' Say them a third time.' And Pharaoh said them a third
time. When Pharaoh raised his voice, it was heard in all
the land of Egypt, a distance of forty days or 400 parasangs.
(7) And in that night he called Moses and Aaron and said
to them, ' Arise, go forth from among my people.' * But
why dost thou trouble me the whole night ?' said Moses.
* Because,' answered Pharaoh, ' I am a firstborn, and I fear
lest I die.' *Do not fear this, because thou art destined
for greatness.' And the Egyptians forced Pharaoh, and
persuaded him to send the Israelites from among them, as
it is said, ' And the Egyptians strengthened themselves to
hasten the people out of their land, for they said, " Behold
we shall all of us die." ' But God answered them, saying,
' By your life you shall not all of you die here, but I shall
destroy you in the sea.' When the Egyptians were
drowned in the sea, fire descended upon their gods so that
they were consumed.
(8) Among these Egyptians there were two wizards
whose names were Johanai and Mamre. As soon as they
entered the sea and saw that the waters encompassed them,
by means of their wiles they flew into the air as high as the
firmament. There was not another nation in the world so
much addicted to witchcraft as the Egyptians. Thus our
sages have said, ' Ten measures of witchcraft descended into
the world: nine parts the Egyptians took, and one remained
for the rest of the world.' Johanai and Mamre were
the princes of witchcraft, and, from their great knowledge
of it, they ascended to the firmament; nor were Michael
and Gabriel able to do anything against them. They
therefore cried to God in supplication, saying, * 0 Lord of
the universe, these wicked men who oppressed Thy children
with hard bondage dare to stand here without fear, and not
only this, but they dare to defy even Thee.' (Whence do we
know that God Himself descended in Egypt '? Because it is
said, ' I shall go down with thee to Egypt.') ' Now, if it is
Thy will, 0 Lord of the universe, execute punishment for
Thy children.' At this God immediately ordered Metatron,
saying, ' Throw them down and cast them to the ground, but
be careful that they only fall into the sea.' Metatron accord-
ingly cast them forcibly into the midst of the sea. It was
then that the Israelites broke forth with the ' Shirah ' (the
160 [LIV. 9
song), 'And in the abundance of Thy majesty Thou hast
overthrown those who rise up against Thee.'
(9) ' The nations heard it and trembled,' The sages
say that when the Egyptians pursued the IsraeHtes and
beheld them, they were seized with great fear and dread,
and did not wish to enter into the sea after them. God
therefore sent Gabriel to them, and he appeared like a
mare entering the sea. Pharaoh's horse immediately
followed into the sea after it, and he was followed by all
the Egyptians. Then spake God to Moses, saying, ' Stretch
forth thy hand over the sea, and the waters shall return
upon the heads of Pharaoh and his chariot and his riders.'
Moses thus stretched forth his hand upon the sea, which
was cleft asunder and rent. When the nations of the
world heard the report of the exodus from Egypt, and
the rending of the Eed Sea, they trembled, and in terror
fled from their habitations.
The PiEBELLION OF KORAH.
