Exodus 8:16–9:12
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become 1gnats through all the land of Egypt.’ ”
17 They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were 1gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became 1agnats through all the land of Egypt.
18 The 1magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth 2gnats, but athey could not; so there were 2gnats on man and beast.
19 Then the 1magicians said to Pharaoh, “aThis is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was 2hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
20 Now the Lord said to Moses, “aRise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, 1as bhe comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “cLet My people go, that they may serve Me.
21 “For if you do not 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 dwell.
22 “aBut on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are 1living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that 2bI, the Lord, am in the midst of the land.
23 “I will 1put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.” ’ ”
24 Then the Lord did so. And there came 1great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was alaid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.
25 Pharaoh acalled for Moses and Aaron and said, “bGo, sacrifice to your God within the land.”
26 But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God 1what is aan abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice 1what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us?
27 “We must go a athree days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He 1commands us.”
28 Pharaoh said, “aI will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. bMake supplication for me.”
29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh adeal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So aMoses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord.
31 The Lord did 1as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained.
32 But Pharaoh 1hardened his heart this time also, and ahe did not let the people go.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “aLet My people go, that they may serve Me.
2 “For aif you refuse to let them go and 1continue to hold them,
3 behold, athe hand of the Lord 1will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks.
4 “aBut the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that bnothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.” ’ ”
5 The Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”
6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and aall the livestock of Egypt died; bbut of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died.
7 Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But athe heart of Pharaoh was 1hardened, and he did not let the people go.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.
9 “It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become aboils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.”
10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast.
11 aThe 1magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians 2as well as on all the Egyptians.
12 And athe Lord 1hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.