8
Frogs over the Land
1Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to
him, `Thus says the LORD, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2"But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will
smite your whole territory with frogs. 3"The Nile will swarm
with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your
bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on
your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4"So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your
servants."'" 5Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron,
`Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams
and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'"
6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and
the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7The
magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on
the land of Egypt.
8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said,
"Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people;
and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD."
9Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me: when
shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the
frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be
left only in the Nile?"
10Then he said, "Tomorrow." So he said, "May it be
according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the
LORD our God. 11"The frogs will depart from you and your
houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the
Nile." 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and
Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon
Pharaoh. 13The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and
the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. 14So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart
and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
The Plague of Insects
16Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, `Stretch
out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become
gnats through all the land of Egypt.'" 17They did so; and
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 through all the land of Egypt. 18The magicians
tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not;
so there were gnats on man and beast. 19Then the magicians
said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
20Now the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning
and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and
say to him, `Thus says the LORD, "Let My people go, that they may serve
Me. 21"For if you do 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; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms
of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. 22"But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people
are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you
may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land. 23"I
will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this
sign will occur."'" 24Then the LORD did so. And there came
great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his
servants and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in
all the land of Egypt.
25Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Go,
sacrifice to your God within the land." 26But Moses said,
"It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the LORD our God
what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an
abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone
us? 27"We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness
and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us." 28Pharaoh 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. Make
supplication for me." 29Then Moses said, "Behold, I am going
out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms
of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people
tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting
the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."
30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to
the LORD. 31The 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 he did not let the people go.
9
Egyptian Cattle Die
1Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to
him, `Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go,
that they may serve Me. 2"For if you refuse to let them
go and continue to hold them, 3behold, the hand of the LORD
will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which
are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the
herds, and on the flocks. 4"But the LORD will make a
distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt,
so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel."'"
5The LORD set a definite time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD
will do this thing in the land." 6So the LORD did this thing
on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the
livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. 7Pharaoh
sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel
dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the
people go.
The Plague of Boils
8Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for
yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward
the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9"It will become fine dust
over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with
sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt." 10So
they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it
toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and
beast. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because
of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the
Egyptians. 12And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he
did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
13Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the
morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, `Thus says the LORD,
the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
14"For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your
servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like
Me in all the earth. 15"For if by now I had put forth
My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then
have been cut off from the earth. 16"But, indeed, for this
reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and
in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17"Still
you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go.
The Plague of Hail
18"Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very
heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it
was founded until now. 19"Now therefore send, bring your
livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and
beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail
comes down on them, will die."'" 20The one among the
servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants
and his livestock flee into the houses; 21but he who paid no
regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in
the field.
22Now the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand
toward the sky, that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and
on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt."
23Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD
sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD
rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and
fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as
had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field
and shattered every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of
Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.
27Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to
them, "I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and
my people are the wicked ones. 28"Make supplication to the
LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail; and I will
let you go, and you shall stay no longer." 29Moses said to
him, "As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the
LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you
may know that the earth is the LORD'S. 30"But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear
the LORD God." 31(Now the flax and the barley were ruined,
for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32But
the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.)
33So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out
his hands to the LORD; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no
longer poured on the earth. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the
rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and
hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35Pharaoh's heart
was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD
had spoken through Moses.
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