Exodus 8

Frogs over the Land

11Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “2Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs. 3The Nile will 3swarm with frogs, which will come up and go 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 kneading bowls. 4So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.”’” 54Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘5Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the 6streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the 78frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7However, 9the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, 10making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8Then Pharaoh 11called for Moses and Aaron and said, “12Plead with the Lord 13to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and 14I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” 9And Moses said to Pharaoh, “15The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, 16that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?”

10Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is 17no one like the Lord our God. 11The 18frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and 19Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had 20inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he 21hardened his heart and 22did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Insects

16Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into 23gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were 24gnats on every 25person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into 2627gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce 28gnats, but 29they could not; so there were 30gnats on every person and animal. 19Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “31This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was 32hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

20Then the Lord said to Moses, “33Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, 34as 35he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “36Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 21For if you are not going to 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 live. 2237But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are 38living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that 3940I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23I will 41put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24Then the Lord did so. And 42thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was 43laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

25Then Pharaoh 44called for Moses and Aaron and said, “45Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the Lord our God 46that which is 47an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice 48that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27We must go a 49three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He 50commands us.” 28Pharaoh said, “51I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. 52Plead for me.” 29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh 53deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

30So 54Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 31The Lord did 55as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32But Pharaoh 56hardened his heart this time also, and 57he did not let the people go.