Xuất Ai Cập Ký 8

Frogs cover the land

¹The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and bring the frogs up over the land of Egypt.’”^{a 2}So Aaron held his hand out over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ³The magicians matched this with their spells and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt as well. ⁴Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to rid me and my people of the frogs, and I will release the people so they can offer sacrifice to the LORD.” ⁵Moses said to Pharaoh, “The choice is yours, and the honor: say when I should pray for you, your officials, and your people, and the frogs will be cut off from you and your houses. They will stay only in the Nile.”^{b 6}Pharaoh answered, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Then it will be done at your word, and you will learn that the LORD our God has no equal. ⁷The frogs will go away from you, from your houses, from your officials, and from your people. Only in the Nile will any be left.” ⁸Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh’s presence, and Moses called out to the LORD about the frogs that he had sent against Pharaoh.^{c 9}The LORD granted Moses’ request. In the houses, the courtyards, and the fields, the frogs died off. ¹⁰People gathered them into great heaps, and the land stank. ¹¹Once Pharaoh saw that he had breathing room, he hardened his heart. He would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Gnats

¹²The LORD told Moses, “Tell Aaron to hold out his staff and strike the dust on the ground. Throughout the land of Egypt the dust will turn into gnats.”^{d 13}So they did it. When Aaron raised his staff in his hand and struck the dust of the ground, gnats were on people and animals alike. Across the whole land of Egypt, all the dust turned into gnats. ¹⁴The magicians attempted the same with their spells, to bring out gnats, but they failed. And still the gnats were on people and animals. ¹⁵The magicians told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God at work!” But Pharaoh’s heart stayed stubborn, and he refused to listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Swarms of flies

¹⁶The LORD said to Moses, “Be up early in the morning and take your stand in front of Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Say to him, ‘The LORD says this: Release my people so that they can serve me. ¹⁷If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies against you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be filled with the swarms, and so will the very ground where they live.^{e 18}On that day, though, I will set apart Goshen, the region where my people live: no flies will swarm there. That way you will learn that I, the LORD, am right here in the land. ¹⁹I will make a rescue that sets my people apart from your people. Tomorrow the sign will come.’”^{f 20}The LORD carried this out. Great swarms of flies invaded Pharaoh’s house and his officials’ houses. Across the whole land of Egypt, the flies brought ruin to the land. ²¹Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go and offer sacrifices to your God, but do it here in this land.” ²²Moses answered, “It would not be fitting to do that. The sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God are offensive to the Egyptians. If we offered, right in front of them, sacrifices they find offensive, they would stone us, would they not? ²³We will travel for three days into the wilderness, and there we will sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he instructs us.” ²⁴Pharaoh said, “Very well, I will release you, and you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness. Just do not travel too far away. And pray on my behalf.” ²⁵Moses said, “I am leaving you now, and I will plead with the LORD. Tomorrow the flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people. But Pharaoh must not trick us again and keep the people from going to sacrifice to the LORD.” ²⁶Moses went out from Pharaoh’s presence and prayed to the LORD. ²⁷The LORD answered Moses’ request and took the flies away from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single one was left. ²⁸Yet once again Pharaoh hardened his heart; he did not release the people.