< Exodus 8 >

1 And YHWH says to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and you have said to him, Thus said YHWH: Send My people away, and they serve Me;
The Lord also said to Moses: “Enter to Pharaoh, and you will say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Release my people in order to sacrifice to me.
2 and if you are refusing to send [them] away, behold, I am striking all your border with frogs;
But if you are not willing to release them, behold, I will strike all your coasts with frogs.
3 and the River has teemed [with] frogs, and they have gone up and gone into your house, and into the inner-chamber of your bed, and on your couch, and into the house of your servants, and among your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading-troughs;
And the river will seethe with frogs, which will go up and enter into your house, and your bedroom, and upon your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens, and into the remains of your foods.
4 indeed, on you, and on your people, and on all your servants the frogs go up.”
And to you, and to your people, and to all your servants, the frogs will enter.’”
5 And YHWH says to Moses, “Say to Aaron, Stretch out your hand, with your rod, against the streams, against the rivers, and against the ponds, and cause the frogs to come up against the land of Egypt.”
And the Lord said to Moses: “Say to Aaron: ‘Extend your hand over the rivers, and also over the streams and the marshes, and bring forth frogs over the land of Egypt.’”
6 And Aaron stretches out his hand against the waters of Egypt, and the frog comes up, and covers the land of Egypt;
And Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
7 and the enchanters do so with their secrets, and cause the frogs to come up against the land of Egypt.
Then the sorcerers also, by their incantations, did similarly, and they brought forth frogs upon the land of Egypt.
8 And Pharaoh calls for Moses and for Aaron and says, “Make supplication to YHWH, that he may turn aside the frogs from me, and from my people, and I send the people away, and they sacrifice to YHWH.”
But Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and he said to them: “Pray to the Lord, so as to take away the frogs from me and from my people. And I will release the people, so as to sacrifice to the Lord.”
9 And Moses says to Pharaoh, “Beautify yourself over me; when do I make supplication for you, and for your servants, and for your people, to cut off the frogs from you and from your houses—only in the River they remain?”
And Moses said to Pharaoh: “Appoint for me a time, when I should petition on behalf of you, and your servants, and your people, so that the frogs may be driven away from you, and from your house, and from your servants, and from your people, and so that they may remain only in the river.”
10 And he says, “Tomorrow.” And he says, “According to your word [it is], so that you know that there is none like our God YHWH,
And he responded, “Tomorrow.” Then he said, “I will act according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
11 and the frogs have turned aside from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people; only in the River they remain.”
And the frogs will withdraw from you, and from your house, and from your servants, and from your people. And they will remain only in the river.”
12 And Moses—Aaron also—goes out from Pharaoh, and Moses cries to YHWH concerning the matter of the frogs which He has set on Pharaoh;
And Moses and Aaron departed from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord on behalf of the promise that he had made to Pharaoh concerning the frogs.
13 and YHWH does according to the word of Moses, and the frogs die out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields,
And the Lord acted according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, and out of the villages, and out of the fields.
14 and they heap them up together, and the land stinks.
And they gathered them together into immense piles, and the land was polluted.
15 And Pharaoh sees that there has been a respite, and he has hardened his heart, and has not listened to them, as YHWH has spoken.
Then Pharaoh, seeing that relief had been provided, hardened his own heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had instructed.
16 And YHWH says to Moses, “Say to Aaron, Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, and it has become gnats in all the land of Egypt.”
And the Lord said to Moses: “Say to Aaron: ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth. And let there be stinging insects throughout the entire the land of Egypt.’”
17 And they do so, and Aaron stretches out his hand with his rod, and strikes the dust of the land, and the gnats are on man and on beast; all the dust of the land has been gnats in all the land of Egypt.
And they did so. And Aaron extended his hand, holding the staff, and he struck the dust of the earth, and there came stinging insects upon men and upon beasts. All the dust of the earth was turned into stinging insects through all the land of Egypt.
18 And the enchanters do so with their secrets, to bring out the gnats, and they have not been able, and the gnats are on man and on beast;
And the sorcerers, with their incantations, did similarly, in order to bring forth stinging insects, but they were not able. And there were stinging insects, as much on men as on beasts.
19 and the enchanters say to Pharaoh, “It [is] the finger of God”; and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he has not listened to them, as YHWH has spoken.
And the sorcerers said to Pharaoh: “This is the finger of God.” And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had instructed.
20 And YHWH says to Moses, “Rise early in the morning, and station yourself before Pharaoh, behold, he is going out to the waters, and you have said to him, Thus said YHWH: Send My people away, and they serve Me;
The Lord also said to Moses: “Arise at first light, and stand in the sight of Pharaoh, for he will go out to the waters. And you will say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Release my people to sacrifice to me.
21 for if you are not sending My people away, behold, I am sending against you, and against your servants, and against your people, and against your houses, the beetle, and the houses of the Egyptians have been full of the beetle, and also the ground on which they are.
But if you will not release them, behold, I will send upon you, and upon your servants, and upon your people, and into your houses, diverse kinds of flies. And the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with diverse kinds of flies, as well as the whole land in which they will be.
22 And I have separated in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people are staying, that the beetle is not there, so that you know that I [am] YHWH in the midst of the land,
And in that day, I will cause a miracle in the land of Goshen, where my people are, so that flies will not be there. And you will know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.
23 and I have put a division between My people and your people; this sign is tomorrow.”
And I will set a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will be.’”
24 And YHWH does so, and the grievous beetle enters the house of Pharaoh, and the house of his servants, and in all the land of Egypt the land is corrupted from the presence of the beetle.
And the Lord did so. And there came very grievous flies into the houses of Pharaoh and of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt. And the land was polluted, in this way, by the flies.
25 And Pharaoh calls to Moses and to Aaron and says, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land”;
And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and he said to them, “Go and sacrifice to your God in this land.”
26 and Moses says, “[It is] not right to do so—for us to sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to our God YHWH; behold, we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes—and they do not stone us!
And Moses said: “It cannot be so. For we will immolate the abominations of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. For if we slaughter those things which the Egyptians worship, in their presence, they will stone us.
27 We go a journey of three days into the wilderness and have sacrificed to our God YHWH as He says to us.”
We will sojourn three days’ journey into the wilderness. And we will sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as he has instructed us.”
28 And Pharaoh says, “I send you away, and you have sacrificed to your God YHWH in the wilderness, only do not go very far off; make supplication for me”;
And Pharaoh said: “I will release you in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the desert. Yet you may only go so far. Petition for me.”
29 and Moses says, “Behold, I am going out from you, and have made supplication to YHWH, and tomorrow the beetle has turned aside from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; only, do not let Pharaoh add to deceive in not sending the people away to sacrifice to YHWH.”
And Moses said: “After departing from you, I will pray to the Lord. And the flies will withdraw from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Yet do not be willing to deceive any longer, so that you would not release the people to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 And Moses goes out from Pharaoh, and makes supplication to YHWH,
And Moses, departing from Pharaoh, prayed to the Lord.
31 and YHWH does according to the word of Moses, and turns aside the beetle from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people—there has not been one left;
And he acted according to his word. And he took away the flies from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people. There was not even one left behind.
32 and Pharaoh also hardens his heart at this time, and has not sent the people away.
And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, so that, even at this turn, he would not release the people.

< Exodus 8 >