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Ramban on Exodus 10:10/רמב"ן על שמות י׳:י׳

אכִּי רָעָה נֶגֶד פְּנֵיכֶם כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ. זֶה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י':י'). וּמַה טּוֹב הָיָה שֶׁיְּפָרְשֵׁהוּ אֵלֵינוּ, וְהַנֻּסְחָאוֹת מִן הַתַּרְגּוּם מִתְחַלְּפוֹת בּוֹ, יֵשׁ שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶן "אֲרֵי בִּישָׁא דְּאַתּוּן סְבִירִין לְמֶעֱבַד לָקֳבֵל אַפֵּיכוֹן אִסְתַּחֲרַת". וְנִרְאֶה לְזֹאת הַנֻּסְחָא שֶׁרָצָה אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות י':י') לְפָרֵשׁ הָרָעָה שֶׁאַתֶּם חוֹשְׁבִים לַעֲשׂוֹת יֵשׁ בָּהּ נֶגֶד פְּנֵיכֶם לְהָעִיד בָּכֶם שֶׁאַתֶּם רוֹצִים לִבְרֹחַ, כִּלְשׁוֹן "וְהוֹשִׁיבוּ שְׁנַיִם אֲנָשִׁים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל נֶגְדּוֹ וִיעִדֻהוּ לֵאמֹר" (מלכים א כ"א:י'), וְהוּא כִּלְשׁוֹן "וַיֵּשְׁבוּ לֶאֱכָל לֶחֶם" (בראשית לז כח), "וְאִסְתַּחֲרוּ". "קוּם נָא שְׁבָה" (שם כז יט), "אִסְתַּחַר". וְיֵשׁ נֻסְחָאוֹת כָּתוּב בָּהֶן "לָקֳבֵל אַפֵּיכוֹן לְאִסְתַּחֲרָא", יֹאמַר הִנֵּה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת מְזֻמֶּנֶת לָשׁוּב לְנֶגֶד פְּנֵיכֶם, כִּי עֲלֵיכֶם תַּחְזֹר, מִלְּשׁוֹן "וְלֹא תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה" (במדבר לו ז), "לֹא תִסְתַּחַר":
וְזֶה כְּמִדְרַשׁ חֲכָמִים שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת רַבָּה (י"ג:ה') דֶּרֶךְ הַבַּחוּרִים וְהַזְּקֵנִים לִזְבֹּחַ, שֶׁמָּא הַקְּטַנִּים וְהַטַּף, מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר דָּבָר זֶה אֵין דַּעְתּוֹ אֶלָּא לִבְרֹחַ, רְאוּ כִּי אוֹתָהּ רָעָה שֶׁאַתֶּם מְבַקְשִׁים לַעֲשׂוֹת, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּדַעְתְּכֶם לִבְרֹחַ, הִיא תָּשׁוּב נֶגֶד פְּנֵיכֶם שֶׁלֹּא תֵּצְאוּ מִכָּאן, כְּלוֹמַר מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה. וְעוֹד מָצָאתִי בּוֹ נֻסְחָא אַחֶרֶת "לֵית קֳבֵל אַפֵּיכוֹן לְאִסְתַּחֲרָא", יֹאמַר אֵין בְּהַכָּרַת פְּנֵיכֶם לְהָסֵב הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבַבְכֶם, כִּי הַכָּרַת פְּנֵיכֶם עָנְתָה בָּכֶם. וְדֶרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט דְּעוּ כִּי רָעָה נֶגֶד פְּנֵיכֶם, עוֹמֶדֶת וּקְרוֹבָה לָבֹא עֲלֵיכֶם מֵאִתִּי, כִּי אֶגְמֹל אֶתְכֶם רָעָה בִּרְאוֹתִי שֶׁאַתֶּם חֲפֵצִים לִבְרֹחַ:

1SEE YE THAT EVIL IS BEFORE YOUR FACE. “The intent of the verse is as the Targum [Onkelos] explained it.” Thus the language of Rashi. Now how commendable it would have been if Rashi had written out [the text of Onkelos he referred to], since there are variant texts of this Targum! In some texts, it is written: “See, the evil you are about to do is set against you.”³⁰ According to this text, it appears that Onkelos intended to explain: “the evil you are contemplating to do is set before you, bearing witness against you that it is your desire to escape altogether.” This is similar to the verse, And set two men, base fellows, before him [Naboth], and let them bear witness against him, saying, etc.³¹ It is also similar to [the expressions]: And they sat down to eat bread,³² which the Targum translates v’istacharu (and they sat down), [the same as the term istacharat that appears to be in the Targum here]; Arise, I pray thee, sit,³³, 27:19. which the Targum translates istachar (sit).And there are versions of [Targum Onkelos] in which it is written: “will turn against yourself.”³⁴ The purport thereof is thus: “Behold, this evil you are about to do is destined to turn against you, for it will pass upon you.” This is similar to the expression, So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel pass from tribe to tribe,³⁵ which the Targum translates: lo tistachar (not pass), [similar to the Targum here, l’istachro]. This explanation finds authority in the Midrash of the Sages, who said in Eileh Shemoth Rabbah:³⁶ “[Pharaoh said]: ‘It is the custom of young men and the elders to offer sacrifice, but is it the custom of children and the little ones to do so? He who says so intends only to escape. See that which you want to do, namely to escape, will turn against you, that you will not go forth from here,’” a kind of measure for measure.And I have found yet another version in the Targum: “your countenance does not bear witness to the absence of this evil,” meaning that “your countenance does not bear witness to the removal of the evil in your hearts. On the contrary, the show of your countenance bears witness against you.”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, [the intent of the verse is to be understood as follows]: “Know that evil is before you, ready and imminent to come upon you from me, for I will requite you evil when I see that you want to escape.”