1Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals and ponds of Egypt 2and cause frogs to cover all the country of Egypt.” 3The magicians of Egypt did the same by means of their secret formulas, and they brought frogs over the land of Egypt!
4Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Ask Yahweh to remove the frogs from me and my people and I will send your people to sacrifice to Yahweh.” 5But Moses replied, “Let me know, please, when I am to make the petition for you, your officials and your people that you may be rid of frogs except in the Nile.” 6Pharaoh answered, “Tomorrow”; and Moses said, “Right, and that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh, our God, 7the frogs will disappear from you and your house, your servants and your people; only in the Nile will they remain.” 8With this Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh.
Then Moses called on Yahweh concerning the frogs that he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 9Yahweh did as Moses had promised Pharaoh and the frogs died in the houses, the farms and the fields. 10The people piled them in heaps and the land was filled with a foul smell. 11Now that relief had come, Pharaoh became even more stubborn and would not listen, just as Yahweh had foretold.
The third plague: the mosquitoes
12Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to strike the dust of the earth with his staff and turn it into mosquitoes throughout the land.” 13Aaron did this; he struck the dust of the earth which turned into mosquitoes that tormented men and animals. All the dust of the earth all over Egypt turned into mosquitoes. 14But when the magicians tried, by means of their secret formulas, to drive away the mosquitoes, they were not able to do so, and the mosquitoes kept tormenting people and animals. 15The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God”; but Pharaoh was unmoved and did not listen, as Yahweh had foretold.
The fourth plague: the horseflies
16Yahweh said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and go to Pharaoh, when he is on his way to the river. Say to him: This is Yahweh’s message: Let my people go and worship me. 17If you refuse to let them go, I will send horseflies on you, on your officials and on your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be filled with horseflies and even the ground on which they are built. 18But on that day I will spare the land of Goshen where my people are. No horseflies will be there and by this you may know that I, Yahweh, am in the land. 19I will make a distinction between my people and your people. By tomorrow this will have happened.”
20Yahweh did this and dense swarms of horseflies invaded Pharaoh’s house and the houses of all his people and devastated the whole country.
21Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go and sacrifice to your God in this country.” 22But Moses replied, “That would not be right. We offer to our God animals which are sacred for the Egyptians. If we were to offer in their presence a sacrifice which offends the Egyptians, wouldn’t they stone us? 23We must make a three-day journey into the desert and there we will sacrifice to Yahweh, our God, as he commands.”
24Pharaoh replied, “I will let you go and sacrifice to your God in the desert, but on condition that you do not go far. And pray to God for me!”
25Moses said, “I am leaving you and I will pray to Yahweh for you, and tomorrow the horseflies will leave you, your officials and your people, but do not continue to deceive us by refusing to let the people go to the desert.” 26Moses left Pharaoh’s house and prayed to Yahweh 27who did as Moses had asked, and delivered Pharaoh, his officers and people from the horseflies. Not one horsefly was left.
28But Pharaoh was relentless and refused to let the people go.
