Exodus 8

8 ¹Then our Father told Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'This is what our Father says: Let my people go, so they may serve me.'" ²But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. ³The Nile will swarm with frogs that come up and enter your house, bedroom, and bed, the houses of your servants and people, your ovens and kneading bowls. ⁴The frogs will come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants."'" ⁵And our Father said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and pools, and bring up the frogs over the land of Egypt.'"

⁶Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷But the magicians did the same with their secret arts, bringing frogs up over the land of Egypt.

⁸Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Plead with God to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to God."

⁹Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours—set the time yourself: when should I pray for you, your servants, and your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, left only in the Nile?"

¹⁰"Tomorrow," he said. Moses replied, "As you say, so you'll know no one is like our Father.

¹¹The frogs will leave you, your houses, your servants, and your people, remaining only in the Nile."

¹²Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to our Father about the frogs our Father had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³And our Father did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. ¹⁴They piled them in heaps upon heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as our Father had said.

Gnats From the Dust

¹⁶Then our Father told Moses, "Tell Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt."

¹⁷They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the ground's dust, and gnats came on people and animals. All the ground's dust became gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. ¹⁸The magicians tried their secret arts to make gnats, but failed. Gnats covered people and animals. ¹⁹The magicians told Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart stayed hard; he wouldn't listen to them, as our Father had said.

A Line Drawn at Goshen

²⁰Then our Father said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he goes out to the water. Tell him, 'This is what our Father says: Let my people go, so they may serve me.

²¹"If you won't let my people go, I'll send flies swarming on you, your servants, your people, and your houses. Egyptian houses will be full of flies, and even the ground they stand on. ²²On that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so no flies swarm there, so you will know I, your Father, am in the land's midst. ²³I will make a distinction between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.'"

²⁴So our Father did. Thick swarms of flies filled Pharaoh's house and his servants' houses; throughout all the land of Egypt, the land was ruined by the swarms.

²⁵Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

²⁶But Moses said, "That wouldn't be right—what we sacrifice to our Father is detestable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is detestable to them before their eyes, will they not stone us? ²⁷We must go a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to our Father, as he commands us."

²⁸Pharaoh said, "I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness—only don't go too far away. Plead for me."

²⁹Then Moses said, "As soon as I leave you, I will plead with our Father, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Only let Pharaoh not deceive again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to our Father." ³⁰So Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with our Father. ³¹As Moses asked, our Father removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people—not one remained. ³²But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he would not let the people go.