1 Then YHVH said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says YHVH, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,
3 behold, the hand of YHVH will fall with a very severe plague upon your cattle which are in the field, the horses, the asses, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.
4 But YHVH will make a distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the people of Israel."'"
5 And YHVH set a time, saying, "Tomorrow YHVH will do this thing in the land."
6 And on the morrow, YHVH did this thing; all the cattle of the Egyptians died, but of the cattle of the people of Israel not one died.
Cattle have to do with the physical passions. Of course, in order to attain to the spiritual, the physical passions must die or be brought under control. This is indicated by the death of the Egyptians' cattle, those feelings that are out of control and not used for the good of the body, mind or soul.
The continued life of the cattle of the Israelites indicates that the feelings or passions that are controlled by the higher spiritual consciousness, to the benefit of the whole person, are necessary to our spiritual success.
7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the cattle of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8 And YHVH said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of ashes from the kiln, and let Moses throw them toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.
9 And it shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."
10 So they took ashes from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw them toward heaven, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast.
Ashes from the furnace indicate the residue left from destruction. That which has passed and been destroyed must be let go of. When we carry the ashes of the past with us, we are caught up in the sorrow and mistakes of the past. This gives us sores that will not heal. It is a condition which will retard our progress and keep us from leaving bondage in Egypt.
11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.
The magicians being afflicted as well, and rendered unable to stand before Moses means that the material body consciousness is now greatly weakened by resisting the spiritual changes in consciousness, which is symbolized by the release of the Hebrews.
12 But YHVH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them; as YHVH had spoken to Moses.
But, it is comfortable for the physical, for it is a habit and the material consciousness is not yet ready to relinquish control.
13 Then YHVH said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says YHVH, the God of the Hebrews, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.
14 For this time I will send all my plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants and your people, that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
15 For by now I could have put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth;
16 but for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
17 You are still exalting yourself against my people, and will not let them go.
18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
19 Now therefore send, get your cattle and all that you have in the field into safe shelter; for the hail shall come down upon every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home, and they shall die."'"
20 Then he who feared the word of YHVH among the servants of Pharaoh made his slaves and his cattle flee into the houses;
21 but he who did not regard the word of YHVH left his slaves and his cattle in the field.
22 And YHVH said to Moses, "Stretch forth your hand toward the heavens, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."
23 Then Moses stretched forth his rod toward the heavens; and YHVH sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And YHVH rained hail upon the land of Egypt;
24 there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field throughout all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and the hail struck down every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field.
Hail is a form of precipitation from above. As rain, it has a cleansing effect. Hardened into hail, it suggests the pain of the process of purification which must precede the release of the spiritual. The fire upon the ground is the cleansing or lifting up of the lower, carnal passions, which alone enables them to be raised to a higher spiritual use.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, there was no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh sent, and called Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time; YHVH is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28 Entreat YHVH; for there has been enough of this thunder and hail; I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."
29 Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to YHVH; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is YHVH's.
30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear YHVH Elohim."
31 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.)
33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and stretched out his hands to YHVH; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.
34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go; as YHVH had spoken through Moses.