Exodus 8

1And YHWH spoke unto Moses: ‘Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith YHWH: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.

3And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs.

4And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.’

5And YHWH said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.’

6And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: ‘Entreat YHWH, that He take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto YHWH.’

9And Moses said unto Pharaoh: ‘Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the river only?’

10And he said: ‘Against to-morrow.’ And he said: ‘Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto YHWH our God.

11And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.’

12And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto YHWH concerning the frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh.

13And YHWH did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.

14And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank.

15But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as YHWH had spoken.

16And YHWH said unto Moses: ‘Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.’

17And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.

18And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast.

19Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: ‘This is the finger of God’; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as YHWH had spoken.

20And YHWH said unto Moses: ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him: Thus saith YHWH: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

21Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

22And 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 that thou mayest know that I am YHWH in the midst of the earth.

23And I will put a division between My people and thy people—by to-morrow shall this sign be.’

24And YHWH did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses; and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the swarms of flies.

25And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: ‘Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.’

26And Moses said: ‘It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to YHWH our God; lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?

27We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to YHWH our God, as He shall command us.’

28And Pharaoh said: ‘I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to YHWH your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; entreat for me.’

29And Moses said: ‘Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat YHWH that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to YHWH.’

30And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated YHWH.

31And YHWH 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.

32And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.