Exodus 10:10
New International Version
Pharaoh said, “The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.

New Living Translation
Pharaoh retorted, “The LORD will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan.

English Standard Version
But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.

King James Bible
And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

New King James Version
Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.

New American Standard Bible
Then he said to them, “So may the LORD be with you, when I let you and your little ones go! Watch out, for evil is on your mind!

NASB 1995
Then he said to them, “Thus may the LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind.

NASB 1977
Then he said to them, “Thus may the LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said to them, “Thus may Yahweh be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! See, for evil is on your faces.

Amplified Bible
Pharaoh said to them, “The LORD be with you [to help you], if I ever let you go with your children [because you will never return]! Look [be forewarned], you have an evil plan in mind.

Christian Standard Bible
He said to them, “The LORD would have to be with you if I would ever let you and your families go! Look out—you’re heading for trouble.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He said to them, “May Yahweh be with you if I ever let you and your families go! Look out—you are planning evil.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, So be Jehovah with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

Contemporary English Version
The king replied, "The LORD had better watch over you on the day I let you leave with your families! You're up to no good.

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, So be the LORD with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Pharaoh said to them, "The LORD would have to be with you if I would ever let you take your women and children along. I know you're up to no good!

Good News Translation
The king said, "I swear by the LORD that I will never let you take your women and children! It is clear that you are plotting to revolt.

International Standard Version
Then Pharaoh told them, "The LORD will certainly be with you if I let you and your little ones go. I know some evil plan is in your mind.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Pharaoh told them, ?May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.

NET Bible
He said to them, "The LORD will need to be with you if I release you and your dependents! Watch out! Trouble is right in front of you!

New Heart English Bible
He said to them, "The LORD be with you if I will let you go with your little ones. See, evil is clearly before your faces.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

World English Bible
He said to them, “Yahweh be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he says to them, “Be it so, YHWH [is] with you when I send you and your infants away; see—for evil [is] before your faces.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith unto them, 'Be it so, Jehovah be with you when I send you and your infants away; see -- for evil is before your faces;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say to them, So will Jehovah be with you, as I will send you forth, and your little ones: see ye, for evil is manifest before you.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Pharao answered: So be the Lord with you, as I shall let you and your children go: who can doubt but that you intend some great evil?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Pharaoh responded: “So let the Lord be with you. But if I were to release you and your little ones, who would doubt that you intend some great wickedness?

New American Bible
“The LORD help you,” Pharaoh replied, “if I let your little ones go with you! Clearly, you have some evil in mind.

New Revised Standard Version
He said to them, “The LORD indeed will be with you, if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some evil purpose in mind.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Pharaoh said to them, Let the LORD be with you, but when I let you and your little ones go, look to it; perhaps you have evil intent.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said to them, “LORD JEHOVAH shall be with you in this way when I have sent you and your little ones, but see that there is no harm against your persons.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said unto them: 'So be the LORD with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; see ye that evil is before your face.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said to them, So let the Lord be with you: as I will send you away, must I send away you store also? see that evil is attached to you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
9“We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.” 10Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil. 11No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.…

Cross References
Exodus 5:2
But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”

Exodus 8:15
When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

Exodus 9:17
Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.

Exodus 12:31-32
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. / Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

Exodus 14:5
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”

Numbers 22:29
Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”

1 Samuel 15:13-14
When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” / But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

1 Kings 20:10-11
Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.” / And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’”

2 Kings 18:30-35
Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ / Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, / until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ ...

Isaiah 36:18-20
Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? / Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? / Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

Jeremiah 43:2
Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’

Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

Daniel 3:15
Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue I have made, very good. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”

Matthew 2:8
And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”

Matthew 27:63-64
“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ / So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

bo so

Exodus 12:30,31
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead…

Exodus 13:21
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

look to it

2 Chronicles 32:15
Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

Lamentations 3:37
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

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Bent Care Children Clearly Evil Face Faces Heed Infants Little Mind Ones Pharaoh Purpose Women
Exodus 10
1. God threatens to send locusts
7. Pharaoh, moved by his servants, inclines to let the Israelites go
12. The plague of the locusts
16. Pharaoh entreats Moses
21. The plague of darkness
24. Pharaoh again entreats Moses, but yet is hardened














Then Pharaoh told them
This phrase introduces Pharaoh's response to Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, is a central figure in the Exodus narrative. His hardened heart and resistance to God's command to let the Israelites go is a recurring theme. Historically, Pharaohs were considered divine or semi-divine figures in Egyptian culture, which adds to the tension between Pharaoh and the God of Israel. This phrase sets the stage for Pharaoh's sarcastic and defiant reply.

May the LORD be with you
Here, Pharaoh uses the name of the LORD, Yahweh, which is significant because it acknowledges the God of the Hebrews. However, his use of the phrase is sarcastic. In the Hebrew context, invoking the name of the LORD is a serious matter, often associated with blessing and divine presence. Pharaoh's mockery highlights his disbelief and the spiritual battle between the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt.

if I ever let you go with your little ones!
Pharaoh's statement is conditional and sarcastic, indicating his refusal to let the Israelites leave Egypt. The mention of "little ones" underscores the completeness of the Israelites' intended departure, which Pharaoh is unwilling to permit. In the cultural and historical context, children represented the future and continuity of a people, and Pharaoh's resistance to their departure signifies his desire to maintain control over the Israelites.

Clearly you are bent on evil
Pharaoh accuses Moses and Aaron of having malicious intent. The Hebrew word for "evil" here can also mean "disaster" or "harm." Pharaoh's accusation reflects his perception of the Israelites' request as a threat to his authority and the stability of Egypt. This phrase reveals Pharaoh's misunderstanding of God's purpose and the liberation of the Israelites, viewing it instead as a personal affront and potential rebellion.

(10) Little ones.--Heb., families. These would include the children and the dependents. (See comment on Exodus 1:1.)

Evil is before you.--Heb., evil is before your faces--i.e., you contemplate doing me a mischief, by depriving me of the services of so large a body of labourers.

Verse 10. - And he said, etc. Pharaoh's reply to the plain statement of Moses is full of scorn and anger, as if he would say - "When was ever so extravagant and outrageous a demand made? How can it be supposed that I would listen to it? So may Jehovah help you, as I will help you in this - to let you go, with your families." (Taph is "family," or household, not "little ones." See Exodus 1:1.) Look to it; for evil is before you. Or, "Look to it; for you have evil in view." Beware, i.e., of what you are about. You entertain the evil design of robbing me of my slaves - a design which I shall not allow you to carry out. There is no direct threat, only an indirect one, implied in "Look to it."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then [Pharaoh]
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

told them,
אֲלֵהֶ֗ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“May the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

be
יְהִ֨י (yə·hî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

with you
עִמָּכֶ֔ם (‘im·mā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

if I ever
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

let you go
אֲשַׁלַּ֥ח (’ă·šal·laḥ)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

with your little ones.
טַפְּכֶ֑ם (ṭap·pə·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2945: A family

Clearly
רְא֕וּ (rə·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7200: To see

you are bent
נֶ֥גֶד (ne·ḡeḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5048: A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before

on evil.
רָעָ֖ה (rā·‘āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil


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OT Law: Exodus 10:10 He said to them Yahweh be (Exo. Ex)
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