Exodus
Chapter 8
1 God spoke to Moses, “Go to the Pharaoh and tell him, ‘God says, let my people go so they can serve me.’”
2 If you don’t let them go, I will fill your lands with frogs.
3 The river will create many frogs, which will enter your home, your bedroom, onto your bed, into your servants’ houses, onto your people, into your ovens, and into your dough bowls.
4 Frogs will come upon you, your people, and all your servants.
5 God told Moses, “Tell Aaron to stretch out his hand with his staff over the streams, rivers, and ponds to make frogs come up onto the land of Egypt.”
6 Aaron reached out his hand over Egypt’s waters, and frogs came and spread all over Egypt.
7 The magicians used their magic to make frogs come all over Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Ask God to remove the frogs from me and my people; and I will let the people go so they can sacrifice to God.”
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “When should I ask God to get rid of the frogs from you, your servants, and your people, and leave them only in the river?”
10 He said, “Tomorrow.” He replied, “Let it be as you say, so you will know there is no one like our God.”
11 The frogs will go away from you, your houses, your servants, and your people; they will only stay in the river.
12 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses called out to God about the frogs he sent to Pharaoh.
13 God did what Moses said; the frogs died in the houses, towns, and fields.
14 They piled them up in heaps, and the land smelled bad.
15 When Pharaoh saw that the trouble stopped, he became stubborn and did not listen to them, just as God had said.
16 God told Moses, “Tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and hit the dust on the ground, so it will turn into lice all over Egypt.”
17 They did just that; Aaron reached out his hand with his stick and hit the earth’s dust, and it turned into lice on people and animals; all the dust in Egypt turned into lice everywhere.
18 The magicians tried to use their magic to produce lice, but they failed: so lice were on people and animals.
19 The magicians told Pharaoh, “This is the work of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart became stubborn, and he did not listen to them, just as God had said.
20 God told Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand in front of Pharaoh; see, he will go to the water; and tell him, ‘God says, let my people go so they can worship me.’”
21 If you don’t let my people go, I will make swarms of flies come upon you, your servants, your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be filled with flies, as well as the ground they stand on.
22 On that day, I will separate the land of Goshen, where my people live, so no swarms of flies will be there. This will let you know that I am God everywhere on earth.
23 I will make a clear separation between my people and your people: tomorrow this sign will happen.
24 God did this; a terrible swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s house, his servants’ houses, and all of Egypt: the flies ruined the land.
25 Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in this land.”
26 Moses said, “It’s not right to do this; we will offer sacrifices to God that the Egyptians hate. If we do this in front of them, won’t they stone us?”
27 We will travel for three days into the desert and offer sacrifices to God, as he tells us to.
28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go so you can offer sacrifices to your God in the desert, but don’t go too far. Pray for me.”
29 Moses said, “Look, I will leave you now and ask God to remove the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people tomorrow. But Pharaoh must not trick us again by not letting the people go to worship God.”
30 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God.
31 God did what Moses asked and took away the flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people; not a single fly was left.
32 The king was stubborn again this time, and he didn’t let the people go.