Exodus Chapter 8

The Plague of Frogs

¹ Yahveh said to Moses,

“Go tell Pharaoh Yahveh says to let his people go so they can serve him. ² If you don’t, he’ll strike the whole country with frogs. ³ The Nile will teem with them. They’ll come up into your house, your bedroom, your bed, your officials’ houses and on your people, in your ovens and kneading bowls. [ ⁴ ]’”

⁵ Then Yahveh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to hold his staff out over the rivers, canals, and pools, and make frogs come up all over the ground.”   ⁶ Aaron held his hand out over the water, and frogs came up and covered the whole country. ⁷ The magicians did the same thing with their magic, and made frogs come up on the ground everywhere in Egypt.                                                              

Ex 8:1-7

⁸ Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, “Ask Yahveh to take the frogs away; I’ll let the people go sacrifice to him.”

⁹ Moses asked, “When should I ask for the frogs to leave you and your houses, and be only in the Nile?”

¹⁰ “Tomorrow.”

“All right; so you can know there’s nobody like Yahveh our God, ¹¹ the frogs will leave everywhere except in the Nile.”

¹² Moses left Pharaoh and called out to Yahveh about the frogs. ¹³ Yahveh did what he asked; the frogs died in the houses, courts, and fields. ¹⁴ They piled them up and the country reeked. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh saw relief, he hardened his heart and wouldn’t listen. Ex 8:8-15                   

The Plague of Gnats

¹⁶ Yahveh told Moses, “Tell Aaron to strike the dust on the ground with his staff so it becomes gnats everywhere in Egypt.” ¹⁷ He struck it, and it became gnats everywhere in Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried with their magic to bring gnats, but they couldn’t. There were gnats on people and animals. ¹⁹ The magicians told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh hardened his heart and wouldn’t listen.        

Ex 8:16-19

The Plague of Flies

²⁰ Yahveh told Moses,

“Get up early and present yourself to Pharaoh when he comes out to the water. Tell him Yahveh says to let his people go so they can serve him. ²¹ If you don’t, he’ll send swarms of flies on you, your officers, your people, and in your houses. They’ll infest the Egyptians’ houses and cover the ground. ²² But he won’t send them on Goshen, where his people live. You’ll know he’s in the land. ²³ He’ll distinguish his people from yours tomorrow.’”

²⁴ Yahveh did that. Huge swarms of insects were in Pharaoh’s palace and his officers’ houses. They covered the ground everywhere in Egypt. ²⁵ Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, “Go sacrifice to your God inside the country.”

Ex 8:20-25

²⁶ But Moses said,

“That won’t work. We’d be sacrificing to Yahveh our God what’s detestable to Egyptians. Wouldn’t they stone us? ²⁷ We have to go a three-day’s journey into the open country and sacrifice to Yahveh like he said.”

²⁸ Pharaoh said, “I’ll let you go so you can sacrifice to Yahveh your God in the countryside. But you can’t go very far. Pray for me.”

²⁹ Moses said, “I’m leaving; I’ll pray to Yahveh that the swarms of insects will leave tomorrow. But you must not lie again and not let the people go sacrifice to him^Y.”

³⁰ Moses left and prayed to Yahveh, ³¹ and he took the swarms away completely. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart that time too and wouldn’t let the people go.                                                                                                                      Ex 8:26-32