Exodus 8
Open in the reader1And He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Two-Straits.’”
2So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Two-Straits, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Two-Straits.
3But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Two-Straits.
4Pharaoh summoned Drawn-Out and Aaron and said, “Pray to He-Who-Is to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to He-Who-Is.”
5Drawn-Out said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may be taken away from you and your houses?”
6“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered. “May it be as you say,” Drawn-Out replied, “so that you may know that there is no one like He-Who-Is our God.
7The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
8After Drawn-Out and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Drawn-Out cried out to He-Who-Is for help with the frogs that He had brought against Pharaoh.
9And He-Who-Is did as Drawn-Out requested, and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.
10They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
11When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as He-Who-Is had said.
12Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Two-Straits.’”
13This they did, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Two-Straits.
14The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.
15“This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as He-Who-Is had said.
16Then He-Who-Is said to Drawn-Out, “Get up early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water, stand before him and tell him that this is what He-Who-Is says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
17But if you will not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you and your officials and your people and your houses. The houses of the Two-Straitsians and even the ground where they stand will be full of flies.
18But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, He-Who-Is, am in the land.
19I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
20And He-Who-Is did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Two-Straits the land was ruined by swarms of flies.
21Then Pharaoh summoned Drawn-Out and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
22But Drawn-Out replied, “It would not be right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to He-Who-Is our God would be detestable to the Two-Straitsians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable before the Two-Straitsians, will they not stone us?
23We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to He-Who-Is our God as He commands us.”
24Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to He-Who-Is your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
25“As soon as I leave you,” Drawn-Out said, “I will pray to He-Who-Is, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to He-Who-Is.”
26Then Drawn-Out left Pharaoh and prayed to He-Who-Is,
27and He-Who-Is did as Drawn-Out requested. He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not one fly remained.
28But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well, and he would not let the people go.