Exo 8 | NASB2020 | STEP | Then the Lord said to Moses , “ Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘ This is what the Lord says : “ Let My people go , so that they may serve Me.

Exodus 8

Frogs over the Land

1 ^{▼▼Ch 7:26 in Heb}Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ^bLet 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 ^cswarm 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 ^{▼▼Ch 8:1 in Heb}Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘ ^eExtend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the ^{▼▼Or canals}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 ^{▼▼Lit frog
,} ^hfrogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 However, ⁱthe soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, ^{▼▼Lit and made}making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh ^kcalled for Moses and Aaron and said, “ ^lPlead with the Lord ^{▼▼Lit that He remove}to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and ⁿI will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “ ^{▼▼Lit Glory over me}The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, ^{▼▼Lit cut off the frogs from}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 ^qno one like the Lord our God. 11 The ^rfrogs 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 ^sMoses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had ^{▼▼Lit placed}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 ^{▼▼Lit made heavy}hardened his heart and ^vdid 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 ^{▼▼Or lice}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 ^{▼▼Or lice}gnats on every ^{▼▼I.e., Egyptians and their livestock}person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into ^{▼▼Or lice
,} ^aagnats through all the land of Egypt. 18 The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce ^{▼▼Or lice}gnats, but ^acthey could not; so there were ^{▼▼Or lice}gnats on every person and animal. 19 Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “ ^aeThis is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was ^{▼▼Lit strong}hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “ ^agRise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, ^{▼▼Lit behold}as ^aihe comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ^ajLet 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 ^akBut on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are ^{▼▼Lit standing}living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that ^{▼▼Or I am the Lord in the midst of the earth
,} ^anI, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23 I will ^{▼▼Lit set a ransom}put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24 Then the Lord did so. And ^{▼▼Lit heavy}thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was ^aqlaid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

25 Then Pharaoh ^arcalled for Moses and Aaron and said, “ ^asGo, 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 ^{▼▼Lit the abomination of Egypt}that which is ^auan abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice ^{▼▼Lit the abomination of Egypt}that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a ^awthree days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He ^{▼▼Lit says to us}commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “ ^ayI 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. ^azPlead 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 ^badeal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

30 So ^bbMoses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 31 The Lord did ^{▼▼Lit according to the word of Moses}as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh ^{▼▼Lit made heavy}hardened his heart this time also, and ^behe did not let the people go.