Exodus 8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 8
1 The Lord then spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams, the canals, and the ponds, and make frogs overrun the land of Egypt. 2 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 3 But the magicians did the same by their magic arts and made frogs overrun the land of Egypt.
4 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 5 Moses answered Pharaoh, “Please designate for me the time when I am to pray for you and your servants and your people, to get rid of the frogs from you and your houses. They will be left only in the Nile.” 6 “Tomorrow,” he said. Then Moses replied, “It will be as you have said, so that you may know that there is none like the Lord, our God. 7 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.”
8 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence, Moses cried out to the Lord on account of the frogs that he had inflicted on Pharaoh; 9 and the Lord did as Moses had asked. The frogs died off in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 10 Heaps of them were piled up, and the land stank. 11 But when Pharaoh saw there was a respite, he became obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
Third Plague: The Gnats. 12 Thereupon the Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it will turn into gnats[a](A) throughout the land of Egypt. 13 They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and gnats came upon human being and beast alike. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt. 14 Though the magicians did the same thing to produce gnats by their magic arts, they could not do so.(B) The gnats were on human being and beast alike, 15 and the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”[b] Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
Fourth Plague: The Flies. 16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Early tomorrow morning present yourself to Pharaoh when he sets out toward the water, and say to him: Thus says the Lord: Let my people go to serve me. 17 For if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you and your servants and your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and the very ground on which they stand will be filled with swarms of flies. 18 But on that day I will make an exception of the land of Goshen, where my people are, and no swarms of flies will be there, so that you may know that I the Lord am in the midst of the land. 19 I will make a distinction[c] between my people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow. 20 This the Lord did. Thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants; throughout Egypt the land was devastated on account of the swarms of flies.(C)
21 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go sacrifice to your God within the land.” 22 But Moses replied, “It is not right to do so, for what we sacrifice to the Lord, our God, is abhorrent to the Egyptians.[d] If we sacrifice what is abhorrent to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us? 23 We must go a three days’ journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as he commands us.” 24 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the wilderness, provided that you do not go too far away. Pray for me.” 25 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you I will pray to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Pharaoh, however, must not act deceitfully again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 26 When Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the Lord; 27 and the Lord did as Moses had asked, removing the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not one remained. 28 But once more Pharaoh became obstinate and would not let the people go.
Footnotes
- 8:12, 17 Gnats, flies: it is uncertain what species of troublesome insects are meant here in vv. 12–14 and then in vv. 17–27, the identification as “gnat” (vv. 12–14) and as “fly” (vv. 17–27) being based on the rendering of the Septuagint. Others suggest “lice” in vv. 12–14, while rabbinic literature renders Hebrew ‘arob in vv. 17–27 as a “mixture of wild animals.” In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the word occurs only in the context of the plagues (see also Ps 78:45 and 105:31).
- 8:15 The finger of God: previously the magicians had, for the most part, been able to replicate the signs and wonders Moses performed to manifest God’s power—turning their staffs into snakes (7:11–12), turning water into blood (7:22), and producing frogs to overrun the land of Egypt (8:3). But now for the first time they are unable to compete, and confess a power greater than their own is at work. Cf. Lk 11:20.
- 8:19 A distinction: while some uncertainty surrounds the Hebrew here rendered as “distinction,” it is clear that now the Israelites begin to be set apart from the Egyptians, a separation that reaches a climax in the death of the Egyptian firstborn (11:7).
- 8:22 Perhaps Moses is deceiving the Pharaoh much like the “God-fearing” midwives (1:16–20), although ancient historians writing about Egypt some time after the period in which the exodus is set do note Egyptian prohibitions on sacrificing cattle or slaughtering sacred animals. As such, the Egyptians might well have fiercely resented certain sacrificial practices of the Israelites. Certain animals were held sacred in Egypt, as the representations of various deities.
Shemot 8
Orthodox Jewish Bible
8 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
2 (7:27) And if thou refuse to let them go, hinei, I will strike all thy borders with tzefardaya:
3 (7:28) And the river shall bring forth tzefardaya abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine bais, and into thy cheder mishkav, and upon thy bed, and into the bais of thy avadim, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading bowls:
4 (7:29) And the tzefardaya shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy avadim.
5 (8:1) And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, Say unto Aharon, Stretch forth thine yad with thy matteh over the streams, over the rivers, and ponds, and cause tzefardaya to come up upon Eretz Mitzrayim.
6 (8:2) And Aharon stretched out his yad over the waters of Mitzrayim; and the tzefardaya came up, and covered Eretz Mitzrayim.
7 (8:3) And the kharetumim did so with their secret lore, and brought up tzefardaya upon Eretz Mitzrayim.
8 (8:4) Then Pharaoh called for Moshe and Aharon, and said, Entreat Hashem, that He may take away the tzefardaya from me, and from My people; and I will let HaAm go, that they may do sacrifice unto Hashem.
9 (8:5) And Moshe said unto Pharaoh, Please thyself over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy avadim, and for thy people, to destroy the tzefardaya from thee and thy batim (houses), that they may remain in the Nile only?
10 (8:6) And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto Hashem Eloheinu.
11 (8:7) And the tzefardaya shall depart from thee, from thy batim, from thy avadim, and from thy people; they shall remain in the Nile only.
12 (8:8) And Moshe and Aharon went out from Pharaoh: and Moshe cried unto Hashem because of the tzefardaya which He had brought against Pharaoh.
13 (8:9) And Hashem did according to the word of Moshe; and the tzefardaya died out of the batim (houses), out of the khatzerot, and out of the sadot.
14 (8:10) And they gathered them together upon heaps; and the land stank.
15 (8:11) But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his lev, and paid heed not unto them; as Hashem had said.
16 (8:12) And Hashem said unto Moshe, Say unto Aharon, Stretch out thy matteh, and smite the aphar ha’aretz, that it may become kinim throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.
17 (8:13) And they did so; for Aharon stretched out his yad with his matteh, and smote the aphar ha’aretz, and it became kinim in adam, and in behemah; all the aphar ha’aretz became kinim throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.
18 (8:14) And the kharetumim did so with their secret lore to bring forth kinim, but they could not: so there were kinim upon adam, and upon behemah.
19 (8:15) Then the kharetumim said unto Pharaoh, This is the Etzba Elohim (Finger of G-d): and the lev Pharaoh was hardened, and he paid heed not unto them; as Hashem had said.
20 (8:16) And Hashem said unto Moshe, Rise up early in the boker, and stand before Pharaoh; hinei, he cometh forth to the mayim; and say unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
21 (8:17) Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, hineni, I will send swarms of arov upon thee, and upon thy avadim, and upon thy people, and into thy batim (houses); and the batim (houses) of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of arov, and also the ground whereon they are.
22 (8:18) And I will deal differently in that day with Eretz Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of arov shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am Hashem in the midst of the earth.
23 (8:19) And I will put a distinction between My people and thy people; tomorrow shall this Ot be.
24 (8:20) And Hashem did so; there came a grievous swarm of arov into the bais Pharaoh, into batim of his avadim, into kol Eretz Mitzrayim; the land was corrupted from the swarm of arov.
25 (8:21) And Pharaoh called for Moshe, for Aharon, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to Eloheichem in the land.
26 (8:22) And Moshe said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the to’avot Egyptians to Hashem Eloheinu; lo, shall we sacrifice the to’avot Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
27 (8:23) We will go derech shloshet yamim into the midbar, and sacrifice to Hashem Eloheinu, as He shall command us.
28 (8:24) And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to Hashem Eloheichem in the midbar; only ye shall not go very far away; entreat for me.
29 (8:25) And Moshe said, Hinei, I go out from thee, and I will entreat Hashem that the swarms of arov may depart from Pharaoh, from his avadim, and from his people, tomorrow; but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Hashem.
30 (8:26) And Moshe went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Hashem.
31 (8:27) And Hashem did according to the devar Moshe; and He removed the swarms of arov from Pharaoh, from his avadim, from his people; there remained not one.
32 (8:28) And Pharaoh hardened his lev at this time also, neither would he let the people go.
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