Exodus 8:1-15

GOD’S WORD Translation

The Second Plague—Frogs

8 ^[a]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to worship me. ² If you refuse to let them go, I will bring a plague of frogs on your whole country. ³ The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officials, on your people, into your ovens and into your mixing bowls. ⁴ The frogs will jump on you, on your people, and on all your officials.’ ”

⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds. This will bring frogs onto the land.’ ”

⁶ So Aaron held his staff over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same thing using their magic spells and brought frogs onto the land.

⁸ Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray that the Lord will take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

⁹ Moses answered Pharaoh, “You may have the honor of choosing when I should pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then the frogs will leave you and your homes. The only ones left will be those in the Nile.”

¹⁰ “Pray for me tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.

Moses replied, “It will be as you say so that you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you, your homes, your officials, and your people. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile.”

¹² After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses prayed to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³ The Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the yards, and in the fields. ¹⁴ They were piled into countless heaps, and the land began to stink because of them.

¹⁵ When Pharaoh saw that the plague was over, he became stubborn and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had predicted.