The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 8 -

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go back to the king and tell him, ’Yahweh says that you must let my people go in order that they can worship me in the desert.

But if you do not let them go, I will punish you by sending frogs to cover your country.

Not only will the Nile River be full of frogs, but also the frogs will come up out of the river into your house. They will come into your bedroom and onto your bed. They will be in the houses of your leaders and all the rest of your people. They will even get into your ovens and your pans for mixing the materials for baking bread.

The frogs will jump up on you, your officials, and on all the rest of your people.’”

Yahweh also said to Moses, “Say this to Aaron: ‘Hold your staff in your hand and stretch it out as though you were stretching it over the river, the canals, and the pools, and cause frogs to come up from all this water and to cover the land of Egypt.’”

After Moses told that to him, Aaron stretched out his hand as though he were stretching it over all the water in Egypt. Then the frogs came up from the water and covered Egypt.

But the men who did magic did the same thing, and they caused more frogs to come up from the water onto the land.

Then the king called Moses and said, “Ask Yahweh to take away these frogs from me and my people. After that happens, I will allow your people to go to worship Yahweh.”

Moses said to the king, “I will be glad to pray for you, for your officials, and for the rest of your people. I will ask Yahweh to get rid of the frogs from all your houses. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile River. Just tell me when I should pray.”

The king replied, “Tomorrow.” So Moses said, “I will do what you say, and then you will know that Yahweh God, the one we worship, is the only true god, and that there is no other god like him.

The frogs will leave you, your officials, and all the rest of your people. The only ones left will be in the Nile River.”

Then Moses and Aaron left the king. Moses prayed to Yahweh, asking him to take away all the frogs he had brought to the king’s land.

Yahweh did just what Moses asked him to do. As a result, all the frogs in the houses, in their courtyards, and in their fields died.

The people gathered together all the dead frogs into big piles, and the land smelled very bad.

But when the king saw that the problem was ended, he became stubborn again. Just as Yahweh had said would happen, the king did not do what Aaron and Moses told him.

The Third Plague: Gnats

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to strike the ground with his staff. When he does that, all the fine particles of earth will become gnats all over the land of Egypt.”

Moses and Aaron obeyed Yahweh. Aaron struck the ground with his staff, and all over Egypt the fine particles of earth became gnats. The gnats covered the people and all their animals.

The men who worked magic tried to cause gnats to appear, but they could not do it. So the gnats stayed on the people and on their animals.

The men who worked magic said to the king, “It is God who has done this with his power!” But the king continued to be stubborn, and he would not pay attention to what Aaron and Moses said, just as Yahweh had said.

The Fourth Plague: Flies

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Get up early tomorrow morning. Go down to the river and wait for the king. When he comes to bathe, say to him, ’This is what Yahweh says to you: “Let my people go, in order that they may worship me in the desert.

I warn you that if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies to you. They will come on you, on your officials, and on the rest of your people. The houses of all you Egyptians will be full of flies. They will even cover the ground on which you will be standing.

But when that happens, I will treat the region of Goshen differently, because my people live there. There will be no swarms of flies there. In that way, you will know that I, Yahweh, am doing these things here in this land.

I will show you how I act toward my people and how I act toward your people. This miracle is going to happen tomorrow¡‘”’

Early the next morning, Moses told that to the king, but the king would not listen. So Yahweh did what he said he would do. He sent great swarms of flies into the palace of the king and into the houses of his officials. The whole country of Egypt was ruined by the flies.

Then the king called Aaron and Moses and said, “You Israelite people can go and worship your god, but you must do it here in this land.”

But Moses replied, “It would not be right for us to do that because we will offer sacrifices that are very offensive to the Egyptian people. If we offer sacrifices that the Egyptian people do not like, they will kill us by throwing stones at us!

We need to travel for three days into the wilderness. There we will offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God we worship, just as he commands us.”

So the king said, “I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, your god, in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me!”

Moses said, “Listen to me! After I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh, asking that tomorrow he will cause the swarms of flies to leave you, your officials, and the rest of your people. But do not lie to us again by refusing to let our people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh!”

Then Moses left the king and prayed to Yahweh.

Yahweh did what Moses asked. He got rid of the swarms of flies from around the king, his officials, and the rest of his people. No flies remained.

But the king was stubborn this time also, and he did not allow the Israelite people to go.

The LORD spoke to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.

If you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your borders with frogs.

The river will swarm with frogs, which will go up and come into your house, and into your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the house of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs.

The frogs shall come up both on you, and on your people, and on all your servants.”’”

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’”

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

The magicians did the same thing with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the LORD, that he take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”

Moses said to Pharaoh, “I give you the honor of setting the time that I should pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only.”

Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.

The frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which he had brought on Pharaoh.

The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.

They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

The Third Plague: Gnats

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’”

They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were lice on man, and on animal; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

The magicians tried with their enchantments to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on man, and on animal.

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is God’s finger;” but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

The Fourth Plague: Flies

The LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he comes out to the water; and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground they are on.

I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know that I am the LORD on the earth.

I will put a division between my people and your people. This sign shall happen by tomorrow.”’”

The LORD did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses. In all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.

Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land!”

Moses said, “It isn’t appropriate to do so; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. Behold, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, won’t they stone us?

We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.”

Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away. Pray for me.”

Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you. I will pray to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only don’t let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.

The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. There remained not one.

Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he didn’t let the people go.