9:13–10:29: With the third set of three plagues the onslaught intensifies. The extensive descriptions are interwoven with articulation of God’s purposes and Pharaoh’s acknowledgment of his moral culpability. Following Moses’s warning, some of Pharaoh’s officials are convinced and preserve their property by following the instructions. The hail (9:13–35) would have occurred in February, when the barley and flax were ripe (9:31). It may be that Pharaoh’s insincere admission of sin was designed to negotiate relief for the crops that ripen…