Exodus 8

¹ The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and make the frogs come up over the land of Egypt.’”

² Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

³ But the magicians did the same with their secret arts and made frogs come up over the land of Egypt.

⁴ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Appeal to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let the people go so they can offer sacrifices to the LORD.”

⁵ Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor of choosing for me: when should I appeal for you, your servants, and your people, so that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and remain only in the Nile?”

⁶ He answered, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God.

⁷ The frogs will leave you, your houses, your servants, and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”

⁸ Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence, and Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had sent on Pharaoh.

⁹ The LORD did as Moses asked, and the frogs in the houses, courtyards, and fields died.

¹⁰ They piled them up in heaps, and the land stank.

¹¹ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

¹² The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground, so that it becomes gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’”

¹³ They did so: Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the ground, and gnats came upon people and animals. All the dust of the ground became gnats throughout the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ The magicians tried to do the same with their secret arts and produce gnats, but they could not. There were gnats on people and animals.

¹⁵ The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

¹⁶ The LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh; he will be going out to the water. Say to him: ‘This is what the LORD says: “Let my people go, so they may serve me.

¹⁷ For if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies against you, your servants, your people, and your houses. The Egyptians’ houses will be full of flies, and so will the ground they stand on.

¹⁸ But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so that no flies will be there. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land.

¹⁹ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow.”’”

²⁰ The LORD did so: a great swarm of flies came into Pharaoh’s house and the houses of his servants. Throughout the land of Egypt, the land was ruined by the flies.

²¹ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, offer sacrifices to your God within the land.”

²² Moses replied, “It would not be right to do that, because what we sacrifice to the LORD our God is detestable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice before their eyes what the Egyptians consider detestable, won’t they stone us?

²³ We will travel three days into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he tells us.”

²⁴ Pharaoh said, “I will let you go and offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the wilderness; just don’t go too far. Appeal for me.”

²⁵ Moses said, “As soon as I leave your presence, I will appeal to the LORD, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. But Pharaoh must not deceive us again by refusing to let the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.”

²⁶ Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD.

²⁷ The LORD did as Moses asked and drove the flies away from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people; not one remained.

²⁸ But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time too and did not let the people go.

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