8Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the king and tell him that the LORD says, 'Let my people go, so that they can worship me.H3068H559H4872H935H6547H559H559H3068H5971H7971H5647 2If you refuse, I will punish your country by covering it with frogs.H3986H7971H5062H1366H6854 3The Nile will be so full of frogs that they will leave it and go into your palace, your bedroom, your bed, the houses of your officials and your people, and even into your ovens and baking pans.H2975H8317H6854H8317H5927H935H1004H2315H4904H4296H1004H5650H5971H8574H4863 4They will jump up on you, your people, and all your officials.' "H6854H5927H5971H5650 5The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to hold out his walking stick over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up and cover the land of Egypt."H3068H559H4872H559H175H5186H3027H4294H5104H2975H98H6854H5927H776H4714 6So Aaron held it out over all the water, and the frogs came out and covered the land.H175H5186H3027H4325H4714H6854H5927H3680H776H4714 7But the magicians used magic, and they also made frogs come up on the land.H2748H6213H3909H5927H6854H776H4714 8The king called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take away these frogs, and I will let your people go, so that they can offer sacrifices to the LORD."H6547H7121H4872H175H559H6279H3068H5493H6854H5971H5971H7971H2076H3068 9Moses replied, "I will be glad to pray for you. Just set the time when I am to pray for you, your officers, and your people. Then you will be rid of the frogs, and there will be none left except in the Nile."H4872H559H6547H6286H4970H6279H5650H5971H3772H6854H1004H7604H2975 10The king answered, "Pray for me tomorrow." Moses said, "I will do as you ask, and then you will know that there is no other god like the LORD, our God.H559H4279H559H1697H3045H3068H430 11You, your officials, and your people will be rid of the frogs, and there will be none left except in the Nile."H6854H5493H1004H5650H5971H7604H2975 12Then Moses and Aaron left the king, and Moses prayed to the LORD to take away the frogs which he had brought on the king.H4872H175H3318H6547H4872H6817H3068H1697H6854H7760H6547 13The LORD did as Moses asked, and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.H3068H6213H1697H4872H6854H4191H1004H2691H7704 14The Egyptians piled them up in great heaps, until the land stank with them.H6651H2563H776H887 15When the king saw that the frogs were dead, he became stubborn again and, just as the LORD had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.H6547H7200H7309H3513H3820H8085H3068H1696 16The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the ground with his stick, and all over the land of Egypt the dust will change into gnats."H3068H559H4872H559H175H5186H4294H5221H6083H776H3654H776H4714 17So Aaron struck the ground with his stick, and all the dust in Egypt was turned into gnats, which covered the people and the animals.H6213H175H5186H3027H4294H5221H6083H776H3654H120H929H6083H776H3654H776H4714 18The magicians tried to use their magic to make gnats appear, but they failed. There were gnats everywhere,H2748H6213H3909H3318H3654H3201H3654H120H929 19and the magicians said to the king, "God has done this!" But the king was stubborn and, just as the LORD had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.H2748H559H6547H676H430H6547H3820H2388H8085H3068H1696 20The LORD said to Moses, "Early tomorrow morning go and meet the king as he goes to the river, and tell him that the LORD says, 'Let my people go, so that they can worship me.H3068H559H4872H7925H1242H3320H6440H6547H3318H4325H559H559H3068H5971H7971H5647 21I warn you that if you refuse, I will punish you by sending flies on you, your officials, and your people. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and the ground will be covered with them.H5971H7971H7971H6157H5650H5971H1004H1004H4714H4390H6157H127 22But I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live, so that there will be no flies there. I will do this so that you will know that I, the LORD, am at work in this land.H6395H3117H776H1657H5971H5975H1115H6157H1961H4616H3045H3068H7130H776 23I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miracle will take place tomorrow.' "H7760H6304H5971H5971H4279H226 24The LORD sent great swarms of flies into the king's palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was brought to ruin by the flies.H3068H6213H935H3515H6157H1004H6547H5650H1004H776H4714H776H7843H6440H6157 25Then the king called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Go and offer sacrifices to your God here in this country."H6547H7121H413H4872H175H559H3212H2076H430H776 26"It would not be right to do that," Moses answered, "because the Egyptians would be offended by our sacrificing the animals that we offer to the LORD our God. If we use these animals and offend the Egyptians by sacrificing them where they can see us, they will stone us to death.H4872H559H3559H6213H2005H2076H8441H4714H3068H430H2076H8441H4714H5869H5619 27We must travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, just as he commanded us."H3212H7969H3117H1870H4057H2076H3068H430H559 28The king said, "I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD, your God, in the desert, if you do not go very far. Pray for me."H6547H559H7971H2076H3068H430H4057H3212H7368H7368H6279H1157 29Moses answered, "As soon as I leave, I will pray to the LORD that tomorrow the flies will leave you, your officials, and your people. But you must not deceive us again and prevent the people from going to sacrifice to the LORD."H4872H559H3318H6279H3068H6157H5493H6547H5650H5971H4279H7535H6547H2048H3254H1115H5971H7971H2076H3068 30Moses left the king and prayed to the LORD,H4872H3318H6547H6279H3068 31and the LORD did as Moses asked. The flies left the king, his officials, and his people; not one fly remained.H3068H6213H1697H4872H5493H6157H6547H5650H5971H7604H259 32But even this time the king became stubborn, and again he would not let the people go.H6547H3513H3820H6471H5971H7971
Dublin, OH
