Exodus 8Book 2 of 66 · 32 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending

  1. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go in 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 plague all your territory with frogs.
  3. The Nile will swarm with frogs which will come up and go into your palace, into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls.
  4. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your officials.
  5. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.'"
  6. So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the whole land of Egypt.
  7. And the magicians did the same with their secret arts, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.
  8. Then Pharaoh summoned 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 that they may sacrifice to the LORD."
  9. And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Accept the honor of telling me when I shall plead for you, for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, and remain in the Nile only."
  10. So he said, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "Let it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
  11. The frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your officials, and from your people. They shall remain only in the Nile.
  12. Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the LORD for help concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.
  13. So the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.
  14. They gathered them together in heaps, and a terrible stench filled the land.
  15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
  16. So the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'"
  17. And they did so, for Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast, and all the dust of the land became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
  18. Now the magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast.
  19. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart remained hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.
  20. And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water, then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
  21. Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses, and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground where they live.
  22. And on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
  23. I will make a clear distinction between My people and your people, and tomorrow this sign shall happen.
  24. And the LORD did so, and thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt, and the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies.
  25. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God within the land."
  26. And Moses said, "It would not be right to do so, for we would be sacrificing what is detestable to the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?"
  27. We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.
  28. So 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. Plead for me."
  29. Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, but let Pharaoh not act deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."
  30. So Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.
  31. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people. Not one remained.
  32. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also; neither would he let the people go.