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.