Exodus 8

1 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go and see Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they can worship me.

Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, —then shalt thou say unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, —Let my people go, that they may serve me.

2 If you refuse to let them leave, I will send a plague of frogs all over your country.

But if thou art, refusing, to let them go, lo! I, am plaguing all thy boundaries with frogs;

3 They will swarm out of the Nile, and they will enter your palace and get into your bedroom and jump onto your bed. They will get into the houses of your officials and jump around your people—even into your ovens and breadmaking bowls.

so shall the river swarm with frogs, and they shall come up, and enter into thy house, and into thy bedchamber and upon thy couch, —and into the house of thy servants and among thy people, and into thine ovens and into thy kneading-troughs:

4 Frogs will jump all over you, your people, and all your officials.’”

both against thee, and against thy people, and against all thy servants, shall come up the frogs.

5 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold out your walking stick in your hand over the rivers and canals and ponds, and make frogs spread over Egypt.’”

Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Say unto Aaron—Stretch forth thy hand with thy staff, over the streams over the rivers and over the pools, —and bring up the frogs, over the land of Egypt.

6 So Aaron held out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land.

So Aaron stretched forth his hand, over the waters of Egypt, —and the frog came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7 But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts. They brought up frogs in Egypt.

And the sacred scribes did in like manner, with their secret arts, —and brought up frogs over the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and pleaded with them, “Pray to the Lord, and ask him to take away the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let your people go so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

Then called Pharaoh for Moses and for Aaron and said—Make entreaty unto Yahweh, that he take away the frogs from me and from my people, —and I must let the people go that they may sacrifice to Yahweh.

9 “You may have the honor of deciding when I'll pray for you, your officials, and your people that the frogs will be removed from you and your houses. They will remain only in the Nile.”

And Moses said to Pharaoh—Explain thyself unto me: For what time, shall I make entreaty for thee and for thy servants and for thy people, to cause the frogs to be cut off, from thee and from thy houses, —only in the river, shall they remain?

10 “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh replied. Moses said, “It will happen as you have requested so you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

And he said—For to-morrow. And he said—According to thy word! that thou mayest know that there is none like Yahweh, our God:

11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people, and they will remain only in the Nile.”

so the frogs shall depart—from thee and from thy houses and from thy servants and from thy people, —only in the river, shall they remain.

12 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with the Lord about the frogs he had sent against Pharaoh.

Then went forth Moses and Aaron from Pharaoh, —and Moses made outcry unto Yahweh, over the matter of the frogs which he had appointed for Pharaoh.

13 The Lord did as Moses asked. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.

And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, —and the frogs died, out of the houses and out of the yards, and out of the fields;

14 The people collected them in pile upon pile, and the whole country smelled terrible.

and they piled them up, heaps—heaps, —and the land became loathsome.

15 But when Pharaoh realized the plague had passed he chose to become hard and stubborn again, wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.

But when Pharaoh saw that there had come a respite, then made he his heart dull and hearkened not unto them, —as spake Yahweh.

16 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Pick up your walking stick and hit the dust of the ground. The dust will become gnats swarming all over Egypt.’”

Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Say unto Aaron—Stretch forth thy staff, and smite the dust of the land, —so shall it become gnats in all the land of Egypt.

17 They did what the Lord said. When Aaron lifted up his walking stick and hit the dust of the earth, gnats swarmed over both people and animals. The dust in the whole of Egypt turned into gnats.

And they did so, and Aaron stretched forth his hand with his staff and smote the dust of the land, and there canto to be gnats, among men and among beasts, —all the dust of the land, became gnats, in all the land of Egypt.

18 The magicians also tried to make gnats using their magic arts, but they couldn't. The gnats stayed on both people and animals.

And the sacred scribes did in like manner with their secret arts, to bring forth the gnats, but they could not. So there came to be gnats, among men and among beasts.

19 “This is an act of God,” the magicians told Pharaoh. But Pharaoh chose to be stubbornly hard-hearted, and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.

Then said the sacred scribes unto Pharaoh, The finger of God, it is! But the heart of Pharaoh waxed bold and he hearkened not unto them, as spake Yahweh.

20 The Lord told Moses, “Tomorrow morning get up early and block Pharaoh's way as he walks down to the river. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they can worship me.

Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Rise thou early in the morning, and station thyself before Pharaoh, lo! he is coming forth to the waters, —then shalt thou say unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh: Let my people go, that they may serve me.

21 If you don't let my people leave, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, and on your people and your houses. Every Egyptian house and even the ground on which they stand will be filled with swarms of flies.

But if thou art not letting my people go, behold me! sending forth—against thee, and against thy servants, and against thy people, and against thy houses the gad-fly, —and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of the gad-fly, moreover also the ground whereon, they are:

22 However, on this occasion I will treat the land of Goshen differently—that's where my people live—there won't be any swarms of flies there. This is how you will know that I, the Lord, am here in your country.

then will I make to differ on that day, the land of Goshen wherein my people do dwell, so that there shall not be there a gad-fly! in order that thou mayest know, that I, Yahweh, am in the midst of the land;

23 I will distinguish my people from your people. You will see this sign that confirms it tomorrow.”

so will I put a separation betwixt my people and thy people. By to-morrow, shall come to pass this sign.

24 The Lord did what he had said. Huge swarms of flies swept into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials. The whole of Egypt was devastated because of these swarms of flies.

And Yahweh did so, and brought a grievous gad-fly unto the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and in all the land of Egypt, and the land was laid waste by reason of the gad-fly.

25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them, “Go and offer sacrifices to your God here in this country.”

Then did Pharaoh cry out—unto Moses and to Aaron, —and said-Go your way, sacrifice to your God, in the land.

26 “No, that wouldn't be the right thing to do,” Moses replied. “The sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God would be offensive to Egyptians. If we went ahead and offered sacrifices offensive to Egyptians, they'd stone us!

And Moses said: Not meet, is it, to do thus, for, an abomination to the Egyptians, we should sacrifice to Yahweh our God. Lo! could we sacrifice that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes and they not stone us?

27 We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices there to the Lord our God as he has told us.”

A journey of three days, must we go, in the desert, —then will we sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as, Yahweh, hath said unto us.

28 “I'll let you go and offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert, but don't go very far,” Pharaoh answered. “Now pray for me that this plague ends.”

Then said Pharaoh: I, will let you go—so shall ye sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the desert, only ye shall not go a, very long, journey, —make ye entreaty for me.

29 “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord,” Moses replied, “and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh should be sure not to be deceitful again and refuse to let the people go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

And Moses said: Lo! I, am going out from thee and will make entreaty unto Yahweh, so will he take away the gad-fly—from Pharaoh from his servants, and from his people tomorrow, —only let not Pharaoh again deceive, in not letting the people go, to sacrifice to Yahweh.

30 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,

So Moses went out from Pharaoh, —and made entreaty unto Yahweh.

31 and the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Not a single fly remained.

And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses, and took away the gad-fly, from Pharaoh from his servants and from his people, —there remained not, one.

32 But once again Pharaoh chose to be stubbornly hard-hearted and would not let the people leave.

And Pharaoh made his heart dull, this time also, —and did not let the people go.