1 Then Jehovah said to Moses: »Approach Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Jehovah says: »Let My people go, that they may serve me.

2 »‘»But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will afflict your whole territory with frogs.

3 »‘»The Nile will swarm with frogs. They will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed. They will go into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls.

4 »‘»The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants.« ’«

5 Jehovah also said to Moses: »Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools. Make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’«

6 »So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

7 »But the magicians used their secret powers to do the same thing.

8 »The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them: If you ask Jehovah to take these frogs away from me and my people, I will let your people go and offer sacrifices to him.«

9 Moses answered: »You choose the time when I am to pray for the frogs to stop bothering you, your officials, and your people, and for them to leave your houses and be found only in the river.«

10 The king replied: »Do it tomorrow!« »As you wish:« Moses agreed. »Then everyone will discover that there is no god like Jehovah!

11 »The frogs will no longer be found anywhere, except in the Nile.«

12 Moses and Aaron left the palace. Moses begged Jehovah to do something about the frogs he had sent as punishment for the king.

13 Jehovah did as Moses asked. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.

14 The Egyptians piled them up in large mounds, until the land began to stink with them.

15 The king saw that the frogs were dead. He became stubborn again and, just as Jehovah had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.

16 Jehovah said to Moses: »Tell Aaron, »Strike the ground with your stick. The dust will change into gnats in all of Egypt.’«

17 So Aaron struck the ground with his stick. The dust in Egypt was turned into gnats. They swarmed over the people and the animals.

18 The magicians tried to use their magic to make gnats appear, but they failed. There were gnats everywhere!

19 The magicians said to the king: »It is the finger of God!« God has done this! But the king was stubborn. Just as Jehovah predicted, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.

20 Jehovah said to Moses: »Early tomorrow morning, go and meet the king as he goes to the river. Tell him that Jehovah says: ‘Let my people go, so that they can serve me.

21 »‘»I 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. The ground will be covered with them.

22 »‘»At that same time I will cut off the land of Goshen where my people live. No swarms of flies shall be there. / Then you will know that I am Jehovah in the midst of the earth.

23 »‘»I will put a dividing line between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow.« ’«

24 Jehovah did what he said. Dense swarms of flies came into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. All over Egypt the flies ruined everything.

25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He said: »Go, sacrifice to your God here in this country.«

26 Moses replied: »It is not right to do that. The sacrifices we offer to Jehovah our God are disgusting to Egyptians. If they see us offer sacrifices that they consider disgusting, will they not stone us to death?

27 »We need to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to Jehovah our God, as he told us to do.«

28 Pharaoh said: »I will let you go, but do not go far. You may offer sacrifices to Jehovah your God in the desert and pray for me.«

29 Moses answered: »As soon as I leave you, I will pray to Jehovah. Tomorrow the swarms of flies will go away from you, your officials, and your people. But you must stop tricking us by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to Jehovah.«

30 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Jehovah.

31 Jehovah did what Moses asked. The swarms of flies left Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly was left.

32 Again Pharaoh was stubborn and did not let the people go.