Exodus 8
The Plague of Frogs
81Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “aLet My people go, that they may serve Me. 2“But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I 1will smite your whole territory with frogs. 3“And the Nile will aswarm with frogs, and they will go up and come into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and on your people and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4“So the frogs will come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 51Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘aStretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the 2streams and over the pools, and cause the frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the 1,afrogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7aAnd the 1magicians did 2the same with their secret arts; they caused the frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.
8Then Pharaoh acalled for Moses and Aaron and said, “bEntreat Yahweh that He may cause the frogs to depart from me and from my people; and cI will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to Yahweh.” 9And Moses said to Pharaoh, “1May the honor be yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, that they may remain only in the Nile?”
10Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is ano one like Yahweh our God. 11“And the afrogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and aMoses cried out to Yahweh concerning the frogs which He had set upon Pharaoh. 13So Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. 14So they piled them in heaps, and the land 1became foul. 15Then Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he 1hardened his heart with firmness and adid not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
The Plague of Gnats
16Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become 1gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were 1gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became 2,agnats through all the land of Egypt. 18Then 1the magicians did the same with their secret arts in order to bring forth 2gnats, but athey could not; so there were 3gnats on man and beast. 19And the 1magicians said to Pharaoh, “aThis is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was 2hardened with strength, and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.
The Plague of Flies
20And Yahweh said to Moses, “aRise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh 1as bhe comes out to the water, and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “cLet My people go, that they may serve Me. 21“For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22“aBut on that day I will make a distinction for the land of Goshen, where My people are 1living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, that you may know that 2,bI, Yahweh, am in the midst of the land. 23“And I will 1put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.”’” 24Then Yahweh did so. And there came heavy swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was alaid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.
25And Pharaoh acalled for Moses and Aaron and said, “bGo, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to Yahweh our God 1what is aan abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice 2what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? 27“We must go a athree days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahweh our God as He says to us.” 28And Pharaoh said, “aI will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. bEntreat for me.” 29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall entreat Yahweh that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only may Pharaoh not adeal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yahweh.”
30So aMoses went out from Pharaoh and entreated Yahweh. 31And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses and caused the swarms of flies to depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32Then Pharaoh 1hardened his heart with firmness this time also, and ahe did not let the people go.