1Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh. Tell him, “The LORD says, ‘Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.2If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country.3The River Nile will be full of frogs. They will come up into your palace. You will have frogs in your bedroom and on your bed. They will be in the homes of your officials and your people. They will be in your ovens and in the bowls for kneading your bread.4The frogs will be on you, your people and all your officials.’ ” ’5Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Tell Aaron, “Reach out your hand. Hold your walking stick over the streams, canals and ponds. Make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” ’6So Aaron reached out his hand over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land.7But the magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. They also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.8Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, ‘Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I’ll let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.’9Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘You can have the honour of setting the time for me to pray. I will pray for you, your officials and your people. I’ll pray that the frogs will leave you and your homes. The only frogs left will be the ones in the River Nile.’10‘Tomorrow’, Pharaoh said. Moses replied, ‘It will happen just as you say. Then you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God.11The frogs will leave you and your houses. They will leave your officials and your people. The frogs will remain only in the River Nile.’12Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh. Then Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.13And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, courtyards and fields.14The Egyptians piled them up. The land smelled very bad because of them.15But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were dead, he became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
The plague of gnats
16Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Tell Aaron, “Reach out your walking stick. Strike the dust on the ground with it.” Then all over the land of Egypt the dust will turn into gnats.’17So they did it. Aaron reached out the stick that was in his hand. He struck the dust on the ground with it. The dust all over the land of Egypt turned into gnats. They landed on people and animals alike.18The magicians tried to produce gnats by doing their magic tricks. But they couldn’t. The gnats stayed on people and animals everywhere.19So the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘God’s powerful finger has done this.’ But Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn’t listen, just as the LORD had said.
The plague of flies
20Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Get up early in the morning. Talk to Pharaoh as he goes down to the River Nile. Say to him, “The LORD says, ‘Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.21If you do not let my people go, I will send large numbers of flies. I will send them on you and your officials. I will send them on your people and into your homes. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies. Even the ground will be covered with them.22‘ “ ‘But on that day I will treat the area of Goshen differently from yours. That is where my people live. There will not be large numbers of flies in Goshen. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.23I will treat my people differently from yours. This sign will take place tomorrow.’ ” ’24So the LORD did it. Huge numbers of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace. They came into the homes of his officials. All over Egypt the flies destroyed the land.25Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, ‘Go. Offer sacrifices to your God here in the land.’26But Moses said, ‘That wouldn’t be right. The sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God wouldn’t be accepted by the Egyptians because of their beliefs. For that reason, they would throw stones at us and try to kill us.27We have to take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, just as he commands us.’28Pharaoh said, ‘I will let you and your people go to offer sacrifices. You can offer them to the LORD your God in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me.’29Moses replied, ‘As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD. Tomorrow the flies will leave you. They will also leave your officials and your people. Just be sure you don’t try to trick us again. Let the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.’30Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.31And the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh, his officials and his people. Not one fly remained.32But Pharaoh became stubborn this time also. He wouldn’t let the people go.
Exodus 8
English Standard Version
The Second Plague: Frogs
1[1] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Ex 3:12; Ex 3:18; Ex 8:20)2But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. (Ex 7:14; Ex 9:2; Re 16:13)3The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people,[2] and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. (Ps 105:30)4The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’”5[3] And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” (Ex 7:19)6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (Ps 78:45; Ps 105:30)7But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. (Ex 7:11)8Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” (Ex 8:25; Ex 8:28; Ex 8:30; Ex 9:28; Ex 10:8; Ex 10:17; Ex 10:24; Ex 12:31; Nu 21:7; 1Ki 13:6; Ac 8:24)9Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” (Ex 8:8)10And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. (Ex 7:17; Ex 8:22; Ex 9:14; De 33:26; 2Sa 7:22; 1Ch 17:20; Ps 86:8; Isa 46:9; Jer 10:6)11The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.”12So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.[4]13And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.14And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.15But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (Ex 7:14; Ex 8:32; Ex 9:7; Ex 9:34; Ex 10:1; Ec 8:11)
The Third Plague: Gnats
16Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” (Ex 7:19)17And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. (Ps 105:31)18The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. (Ex 7:11)19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (Ex 31:18; Ps 8:3; Lu 11:20)
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Ex 7:15; Ex 8:1; Ex 9:13)21Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.22But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.[5] (Ex 7:17; Ex 8:10; Ex 9:4; Ex 11:7; Mal 3:18)23Thus I will put a division[6] between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’”24And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. (Ps 78:45; Ps 105:31; Isa 7:18)25Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”26But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? (Ge 43:32; Ge 46:34)27We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” (Ex 3:12; Ex 3:18)28So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” (Ex 8:8)29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” (Ex 8:15; Jer 42:20)30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.31And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. (Ex 8:15)