Exodus 10:24

10:24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord – only your flocks and herds will be detained. Even your families ¹  may go with you.”

Exodus 10:26

10:26 Our livestock must ²  also go with us! Not a hoof is to be left behind! For we must take ³  these animals ⁴  to serve the Lord our God. Until we arrive there, we do not know what we must use to serve the Lord.” ⁵ 

[10:24]  ¹ tn Or “dependents.” The term is often translated “your little ones,” but as mentioned before (10:10), this expression in these passages takes in women and children and other dependents. Pharaoh will now let all the people go, but he intends to detain the cattle to secure their return.

[10:26]  ² tn This is the obligatory imperfect nuance. They were obliged to take the animals if they were going to sacrifice, but more than that, since they were not coming back, they had to take everything.

[10:26]  ³ tn The same modal nuance applies to this verb.

[10:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “from it,” referring collectively to the livestock.

[10:26]  ⁵ sn Moses gives an angry but firm reply to Pharaoh’s attempt to control Israel; he makes it clear that he has no intention of leaving any pledge with Pharaoh. When they leave, they will take everything that belongs to them.