Exodus 8

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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." '	1 The LORD then told Moses, "Say to Aaron: Stretch out your hand and your staff over the streams and canals and pools, to make frogs overrun 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.	2 Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
3 But by their spel s the magicians did the same, bringing frogs over the land of Egypt.	3 But the magicians did the same by their magic arts. They, too, made frogs overrun 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.'	4 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray the LORD to remove the frogs from me and my subjects, and I will let the people go to offer sacrifice to the LORD."
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?'	5 Moses answered Pharaoh, "Do me the favor of appointing the time when I am to pray for you and your servants and your subjects, that the frogs may be taken away from you and your houses and be left only in the river."
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.	6 "Tomorrow," said Pharaoh. Then Moses replied, "It shall be as you have said, so that you may learn that there is none like the LORD, our God.
7 The frogs wil leave you, your houses, your officials and your subjects and wil be left only in the River.'	7 The frogs shall leave you and your houses, your servants and your subjects; only in the river shall they be left."
8 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, and Moses pleaded with Yahweh about the frogs which hehad inflicted on Pharaoh.	8 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, Moses implored the LORD to fulfill the promise he had made to Pharaoh about the frogs;
9 Yahweh did as Moses asked, and in house and courtyard and field the frogs died.	9 and the LORD did as Moses had asked. The frogs in the houses and courtyards and fields died off.
10 They piled them up in heaps and the country stank.	10 Heaps and heaps of them were gathered up, and there was a stench in the land.
11 But once Pharaoh saw that there had been a respite, he became obstinate and, as Yahweh hadforetold, refused to listen to them.	11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he became obdurate and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold.
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." '	12 Thereupon the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may be turned into gnats throughout the land 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.	13 They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand, and with his staff he struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came upon man and beast. The dust of the earth was turned into gnats throughout the land 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.	14 Though the magicians tried to bring forth gnats by their magic arts, they could not do so. As the gnats infested 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.	15 the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." Yet Pharaoh remained obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold.
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.	16 Again the LORD told Moses, "Early tomorrow morning present yourself to Pharaoh when he goes forth to the water, and say to him: Thus says the LORD: Let my people go to 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.	17 If you will not let my people go, I warn you, I will loose swarms of flies upon you and your servants and your subjects and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and the very ground on which they stand shall be filled with swarms of flies.
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.	18 But on that day I will make an exception of the land of Goshen: there shall be no flies where my people dwell, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
19 I shal make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign wil take place tomorrow." '	19 I will make this distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall 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.	20 This the LORD did. Thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants; throughout Egypt the land was infested with flies.
21 Pharaoh then summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Go and sacrifice to your God, inside thecountry.'	21 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "Go and offer sacrifice to your God in this land."
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?	22 But Moses replied, "It is not right to do so, for the sacrifices we offer to the LORD, our God, are an abomination to the Egyptians. If before their very eyes we offer sacrifices which are an abomination to them, will not the Egyptians stone us?
23 We shal make a three-days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he has orderedus.'	23 We must go a three days' journey in the desert to offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God, as he commands us."
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.'	24 "Well, then," said Pharaoh, "I will let you go to offer sacrifice to the LORD, your God, in the desert, provided that you do not go too far away and that you 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.'	25 Moses answered, "As soon as I leave your presence I will pray to the LORD that the flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh and his servants and his subjects. Pharaoh, however, must not play false again by refusing to let the people go to offer sacrifice to the LORD."
26 Moses then left Pharaoh's presence and prayed to Yahweh,	26 When Moses left Pharaoh's presence, he prayed to the LORD;
27 and Yahweh did as Moses asked; the horseflies left Pharaoh, his officials and his subjects; not oneremained.	27 and the LORD did as Moses had asked. He removed the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and subjects. Not one remained.
28 But Pharaoh became obstinate this time too and did not let the people go.	28 But once more Pharaoh became obdurate and would not let the people go.