Exodus 8
New Living Translation
A Plague of Frogs
8 [a]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. 3 The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.’”
5 [b]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up frogs over all the land.’” 6 So Aaron raised his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the whole land! 7 But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, “Plead with the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
9 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
10 “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
“All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s palace, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did just what Moses had predicted. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields all died. 14 The Egyptians piled them into great heaps, and a terrible stench filled the land. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn.[c] He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
A Plague of Gnats
16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise your staff and strike the ground. The dust will turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” 17 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. 18 Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike.
19 “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.
A Plague of Flies
20 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand in Pharaoh’s way as he goes down to the river. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 21 If you refuse, then I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. 22 But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I am present even in the heart of your land. 23 I will make a clear distinction between[d] my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24 And the Lord did just as he had said. A thick swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was thrown into chaos by the flies.
25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
26 But Moses replied, “That wouldn’t be right. The Egyptians detest the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God. Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the Egyptians can see us, they will stone us. 27 We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, just as he has commanded us.”
28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will disappear from you and your officials and all your people. But I am warning you, Pharaoh, don’t lie to us again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and pleaded with the Lord to remove all the flies. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained. 32 But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.
Exodus 8
New American Standard Bible
Frogs over the Land
8 [a]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(A)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs. 3 The Nile will (B)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 kneading bowls. 4 So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.”’” 5 [b]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘(C)Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the [c]streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the [d](D)frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 However, (E)the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, [e]making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh (F)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(G)Plead with the Lord [f]to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and (H)I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “[g]The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, [h]that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?”
10 Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is (I)no one like the Lord our God. 11 The (J)frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and (K)Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had [i]inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13 The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he [j]hardened his heart and (L)did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Insects
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into [k]gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17 They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were [l]gnats on every [m]person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into [n](M)gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18 The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce [o]gnats, but (N)they could not; so there were [p]gnats on every person and animal. 19 Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “(O)This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was [q]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(P)Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, [r]as (Q)he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(R)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 21 For if you are not going to 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 live. 22 (S)But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are [s]living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that [t](T)I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23 I will [u]put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24 Then the Lord did so. And [v]thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was (U)laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.
25 Then Pharaoh (V)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(W)Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the Lord our God [w]that which is (X)an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice [x]that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a (Y)three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He [y]commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “(Z)I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. (AA)Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh (AB)deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So (AC)Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 31 The Lord did [z]as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh [aa]hardened his heart this time also, and (AD)he did not let the people go.
Footnotes
- Exodus 8:1 Ch 7:26 in Heb
- Exodus 8:5 Ch 8:1 in Heb
- Exodus 8:5 Or canals
- Exodus 8:6 Lit frog
- Exodus 8:7 Lit and made
- Exodus 8:8 Lit that He remove
- Exodus 8:9 Lit Glory over me
- Exodus 8:9 Lit cut off the frogs from
- Exodus 8:12 Lit placed
- Exodus 8:15 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 8:16 Or lice
- Exodus 8:17 Or lice
- Exodus 8:17 I.e., Egyptians and their livestock
- Exodus 8:17 Or lice
- Exodus 8:18 Or lice
- Exodus 8:18 Or lice
- Exodus 8:19 Lit strong
- Exodus 8:20 Lit behold
- Exodus 8:22 Lit standing
- Exodus 8:22 Or I am the Lord in the midst of the earth
- Exodus 8:23 Lit set a ransom
- Exodus 8:24 Lit heavy
- Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
- Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
- Exodus 8:27 Lit says to us
- Exodus 8:31 Lit according to the word of Moses
- Exodus 8:32 Lit made heavy
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
