In Egypt the report was spread that the children of Israel, instead of tarrying to worship in the desert, were pressing on toward the Red Sea. Pharaoh's counselors declared to the king that their bondmen had fled, never to return. The people deplored their folly in attributing the death of the first-born to the power of God. Their great men, recovering from their fears, accounted for the plagues as the result of natural causes. "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" was the bitter cry.

I Ægypten rygtedes det, at Israels børn i stedet for at standse for at tilbede i ørkenen var på vej mod Det røde Hav. Faraos rådgivere sagde til kongen, at deres trælle var flygtet for aldrig at vende tilbage. Folket beklagede, at de havde været så tåbelige at tilskrive deres førstefødtes død Guds magt. Da deres ledende mænd var kommet sig af deres frygt, tilskrev de plagerne naturlige årsager. "Hvor kunne vi dog slippe israelitterne af vor tjeneste?" var deres bitre råb.