8GOD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'GOD's Message: Release my people so they can worship me.H3068H559H4872H935H6547H559H559H3068H5971H7971H5647 2If you refuse to release them, I'm warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs.H3986H7971H5062H1366H6854 3The Nile will swarm with frogs—they'll come up into your houses, into your bedrooms and into your beds, into your servants' quarters, among the people, into your ovens and pots and pans.H2975H8317H6854H8317H5927H935H1004H2315H4904H4296H1004H5650H5971H8574H4863 4They'll be all over you, all over everyone—frogs everywhere, on and in everything!'"H6854H5927H5971H5650 5GOD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Wave your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds. Bring up frogs on the land of Egypt.'"H3068H559H4872H559H175H5186H3027H4294H5104H2975H98H6854H5927H776H4714 6Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and a mob of frogs came up and covered the country.H175H5186H3027H4325H4714H6854H5927H3680H776H4714 7But again the magicians did the same thing using their incantations—they also produced frogs in Egypt.H2748H6213H3909H5927H6854H776H4714 8Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to GOD to rid us of these frogs. I'll release the people so that they can make their sacrifices and worship GOD."H6547H7121H4872H175H559H6279H3068H5493H6854H5971H5971H7971H2076H3068 9Moses said to Pharaoh, "Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your houses? You'll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile."H4872H559H6547H6286H4970H6279H5650H5971H3772H6854H1004H7604H2975 10"Make it tomorrow." Moses said, "Tomorrow it is—so you'll realize that there is no God like our GOD.H559H4279H559H1697H3045H3068H430 11The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile."H6854H5493H1004H5650H5971H7604H2975 12Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses prayed to GOD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.H4872H175H3318H6547H4872H6817H3068H1697H6854H7760H6547 13GOD responded to Moses' prayer: The frogs died off—houses, courtyards, fields, all free of frogs.H3068H6213H1697H4872H6854H4191H1004H2691H7704 14They piled the frogs in heaps. The country reeked of dead frogs.H6651H2563H776H887 15But when Pharaoh saw that he had some breathing room, he got stubborn again and wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron. Just as GOD had said.H6547H7200H7309H3513H3820H8085H3068H1696 16GOD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and strike the dust. The dust will turn into gnats all over Egypt.'"H3068H559H4872H559H175H5186H4294H5221H6083H776H3654H776H4714 17He did it. Aaron grabbed his staff and struck the dust of the Earth; it turned into gnats, gnats all over people and animals. All the dust of the Earth turned into gnats, gnats everywhere in Egypt.H6213H175H5186H3027H4294H5221H6083H776H3654H120H929H6083H776H3654H776H4714 18The magicians tried to produce gnats with their incantations but this time they couldn't do it. There were gnats everywhere, all over people and animals.H2748H6213H3909H3318H3654H3201H3654H120H929 19The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is God's doing." But Pharaoh was stubborn and wouldn't listen. Just as GOD had said.H2748H559H6547H676H430H6547H3820H2388H8085H3068H1696 20GOD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes down to the water. Tell him, 'GOD's Message: Release my people so they can worship me.H3068H559H4872H7925H1242H3320H6440H6547H3318H4325H559H559H3068H5971H7971H5647 21If you don't release my people, I'll release swarms of flies on you, your servants, your people, and your homes. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground under their feet will be thick with flies.H5971H7971H7971H6157H5650H5971H1004H1004H4714H4390H6157H127 22But when it happens, I'll set Goshen where my people live aside as a sanctuary—no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am GOD in this land.H6395H3117H776H1657H5971H5975H1115H6157H1961H4616H3045H3068H7130H776 23I'll make a sharp distinction between your people and mine. This sign will occur tomorrow.'"H7760H6304H5971H5971H4279H226 24And GOD did just that. Thick swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and the houses of his servants. All over Egypt, the country ruined by flies.H3068H6213H935H3515H6157H1004H6547H5650H1004H776H4714H776H7843H6440H6157 25Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Go ahead. Sacrifice to your God—but do it here in this country."H6547H7121H413H4872H175H559H3212H2076H430H776 26Moses said, "That would not be wise. What we sacrifice to our GOD would give great offense to Egyptians. If we openly sacrifice what is so deeply offensive to Egyptians, they'll kill us.H4872H559H3559H6213H2005H2076H8441H4714H3068H430H2076H8441H4714H5869H5619 27Let us go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to our GOD, just as he instructed us."H3212H7969H3117H1870H4057H2076H3068H430H559 28Pharaoh said, "All right. I'll release you to go and sacrifice to your GOD in the wilderness. Only don't go too far. Now pray for me."H6547H559H7971H2076H3068H430H4057H3212H7368H7368H6279H1157 29Moses said, "As soon as I leave here, I will pray to GOD that tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. But don't play games with us and change your mind about releasing us to sacrifice to GOD."H4872H559H3318H6279H3068H6157H5493H6547H5650H5971H4279H7535H6547H2048H3254H1115H5971H7971H2076H3068 30Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to GOD.H4872H3318H6547H6279H3068 31GOD did what Moses asked. He got rid of the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and his people. There wasn't a fly left.H3068H6213H1697H4872H5493H6157H6547H5650H5971H7604H259 32But Pharaoh became stubborn once again and wouldn't release the people.H6547H3513H3820H6471H5971H7971
The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
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