Exodus 8

¹ Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Stretch out your hand with your staff, over the rivers, thecanals and the marshland, and bring the frogs up over the land of Egypt." '

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

³ But by their spel s the magicians did the same, bringing frogs over the land of Egypt.

⁴ Pharaoh then summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Entreat Yahweh to take the frogs away from meand my subjects, and I promise to let the people go and sacrifice to Yahweh.'

⁵ Moses said to Pharaoh, 'You are the one to gain by it: when would you like me to pray for you, yourofficials and your subjects, so as to rid you and your houses of the frogs so that they wil be left only in theRiver?'

⁶ 'Tomorrow,' he said. Moses said, 'It shal be as you say, so that you wil know that there is no one likeYahweh our God.

⁷ The frogs wil leave you, your houses, your officials and your subjects and wil be left only in the River.'

⁸ Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, and Moses pleaded with Yahweh about the frogs which hehad inflicted on Pharaoh.

⁹ Yahweh did as Moses asked, and in house and courtyard and field the frogs died.

¹⁰ They piled them up in heaps and the country stank.

¹¹ But once Pharaoh saw that there had been a respite, he became obstinate and, as Yahweh hadforetold, refused to listen to them.

¹² Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, andit wil turn into mosquitoes throughout the whole of Egypt." '

¹³ Aaron stretched out his hand, with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there weremosquitoes on man and beast; al the dust of the earth turned into mosquitoes throughout the whole of Egypt.

¹⁴ By their spel s the magicians tried to produce mosquitoes in the same way but failed, and there weremosquitoes on man and beast.

¹⁵ So the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh was obstinate and, asYahweh had foretold, refused to listen to them.

¹⁶ Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he makes his wayto the water. Say to him, "Yahweh says this: Let my people go and worship me.

¹⁷ But if you wil not let my people go, I shal send horseflies on you, on your officials, your subjects andyour houses. The Egyptians' houses wil swarm with horseflies, and so wil the very ground they stand on.

¹⁸ But I shal exempt the region of Goshen, where my people are living, that day; there will be nohorseflies there, so that you will know that I am Yahweh, here in this country.

¹⁹ I shal make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign wil take place tomorrow." '

²⁰ Yahweh did this, and great swarms of horseflies found their way into Pharaoh's palace, into hisofficials' houses and al over Egypt; the country was ruined by the horseflies.

²¹ Pharaoh then summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Go and sacrifice to your God, inside thecountry.'

²² 'That would never do,' Moses said, 'since what we sacrifice to Yahweh our God is outrageous to theEgyptians. If the Egyptians see us offering sacrifices which outrage them, won't they stone us?

²³ We shal make a three-days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he has orderedus.'

²⁴ Pharaoh said, 'I wil let you go and sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the desert, provided you do not govery far. Pray for me.'

²⁵ 'The moment I leave you,' Moses said, 'I shal pray to Yahweh. Tomorrow morning the horseflies willeave Pharaoh, his officials and his subjects. But Pharaoh must stop trifling with us by not al owing the people togo and sacrifice to Yahweh.'

²⁶ Moses then left Pharaoh's presence and prayed to Yahweh,

²⁷ and Yahweh did as Moses asked; the horseflies left Pharaoh, his officials and his subjects; not oneremained.

²⁸ But Pharaoh became obstinate this time too and did not let the people go.