The 10 Plagues of Egypt are a series of disasters that God sent upon Egypt in the Bible, found in Exodus chapters 7 to 12. This happened when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Let’s learn about each plague.
1. Water Turned to Blood
Bible Verse: Exodus 7:20-21
“Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.”
The first plague turned the Nile River and all the water in Egypt to blood. This meant the Egyptians couldn’t drink the water, and the fish died.
2. Frogs
Bible Verse: Exodus 8:6
“Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.”
Frogs came out of the river and were everywhere – in homes, beds, and kitchens. It was a big, slimy mess!
3. Gnats
Bible Verse: Exodus 8:17
“They did so, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.”
Tiny gnats swarmed all over Egypt, bothering people and animals. They were so tiny but caused a lot of trouble.
4. Flies
Bible Verse: Exodus 8:24
“And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.”
Next came the flies. There were so many that they filled the houses and made life very unpleasant.
5. Livestock Die
Bible Verse: Exodus 9:6
“And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.”
The Egyptian livestock – cows, sheep, and donkeys – got sick and died, which was a big problem because the Egyptians relied on them for food and work.
6. Boils
Bible Verse: Exodus 9:10
“So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals.”
Painful boils, or big red bumps, appeared on the skin of the Egyptians and their animals.
7. Hail
Bible Verse: Exodus 9:23-24
“When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.”
Huge hailstones rained down, smashing plants and trees and hurting people and animals that were outside.
8. Locusts
Bible Verse: Exodus 10:13-15
“And Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts… They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees.”
Locusts came and ate everything green that was left after the hail. There was hardly any food left for the Egyptians.
9. Darkness
Bible Verse: Exodus 10:22-23
“So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days.”
A deep darkness fell over Egypt for three days. It was so dark that people couldn’t see anything or go anywhere.
10. Death of the Firstborn
Bible Verse: Exodus 12:29-30
“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.”
The last and most terrible plague was the death of the firstborn in every Egyptian family and among their animals.