1 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Go back to the king and tell him,‘Yahweh says that you must let my people go in order that they can worship me{ in the desert.} BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
2 ARST But if you do not let them go, watch out! I will punish you by sending frogs to cover your country. BSB BSB: But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.
3 ARST Not only will the Nile River be full of frogs, but the frogs will also come up out of the river into your house. They will come into your bedroom and onto your bed. They will be in the houses of your slaves and all the rest of your people. They will even get into your ovens and your pans for mixing the materials for baking bread. BSB BSB: The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.
4 ARST The frogs will jump up on you, on the Egyptian people, and on all your slaves.’” BSB BSB: The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’”
5 ARST Yahweh also said to Moses,“Say this to Aaron:‘Hold your staff in your hand and stretch it out{ as though you were stretching it} over the river, the canals, and the ponds, and cause frogs to come up{ from all this water} and to cover the land of Egypt.’” BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’”
6 ARST { After Moses told that to him,} Aaron stretched out his hand{ as though he were stretching it} over all the water in Egypt. Then the frogs came up{ from the water} and covered Egypt. BSB BSB: So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
7 ARST But the men who did magic did the same thing by magic, and they caused more frogs to come up from the water onto the land. BSB BSB: But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.
8 ARST Then the king called Moses and Aaron and said,“Ask Yahweh to take these frogs away from me and my people. After that happens, I will allow your people to go to worship Yahweh.” BSB BSB: Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”
9 ARST Moses said to the king,“Show how you are more glorious than me by telling me when to pray for you and your officials and the rest of your peoples. I will pray that the frogs stop coming to your houses and stay in the Nile River.” BSB BSB: Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may be taken away from you and your houses?”
10 ARST The king replied,“{ Pray for us} tomorrow.” So Moses said,“I will do what you say. You will know that the God{ named} Yahweh,{ the one we worship, is the only true God, and that} there is no other God like him when BSB BSB: “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered. “May it be as you say,” Moses replied, “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
11 ARST the frogs leave you, your officials, all the rest of your people and all your houses; when the only ones left are in the Nile River.” BSB BSB: The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
12 ARST Then Moses and Aaron left the king. Moses pleaded with Yahweh about the frogs he had used to punish the king. BSB BSB: After Moses and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD for help with the frogs that He had brought against Pharaoh.
13 ARST Yahweh did just what Moses asked him to do. As a result, all the frogs in the houses, in their courtyards, and in their fields died. BSB BSB: And the LORD did as Moses requested, and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.
14 ARST The people gathered together all the dead frogs into big piles, and the land smelled very bad. BSB BSB: They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
15 ARST But when the king noticed that the frogs were gone, he made himself stubborn again. Just as Yahweh had said would happen, the king did not do what Aaron and Moses told him. BSB BSB: When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
16 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Tell Aaron to strike the dusty ground with his staff so that all the dust all over Egypt will become gnats.” BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’”
17 ARST Moses and Aaron obeyed Yahweh. Aaron hit the dusty ground with his staff, and all over Egypt the dust became gnats. The gnats covered the people and the animals. BSB BSB: This they did, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.
18 ARST The men who worked magic tried to cause gnats to appear, but they could not do it. Gnats were on the people and animals. BSB BSB: The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.
19 ARST The magicians said to the king,“A god did this!” But just like Yahweh had said, the king continued to be stubborn and would not obey Aaron and Moses. BSB BSB: “This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
20 ARST Then Yahweh said to Moses,“Get up early tomorrow morning. Wait to meet the king as he comes to the river and tell him,‘This is what Yahweh says to you:“Let my people go in order that they may worship me. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water, stand before him and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
21 ARST If you do not let my people go immediately, watch out! Be sure that I will shortly send swarms of flies which will cover you, your slaves, the rest of your people, and your houses. All the Egyptian’ s houses will be full of flies. They will even cover the ground. BSB BSB: But if you will not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you and your officials and your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground where they stand will be full of flies.
22 ARST But when that happens, I will treat the region of Goshen differently, because my people live there. There will be no swarms of flies there. In that way, you will know that I, Yahweh, am here in this land. BSB BSB: But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.
23 ARST I will treat my people and your people differently. I will prove how powerful I am tomorrow!”’” BSB BSB: I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
24 ARST { In the morning, Moses warned the king, but he did not listen.} So Yahweh did what he said he would do. He sent great swarms of flies into the king’ s palace and into his officials’ houses. They were everywhere in Egypt. The flies ruined the country. BSB BSB: And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of flies.
25 ARST Then the king summoned Moses and Aaron and said,“Just go worship your god here in Egypt!” BSB BSB: Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
26 ARST But Moses replied,“It would not be right for us to do that, because we will offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God we worship, that are very offensive to the Egyptians. Look, it is certain that if we offer sacrifices right in front of them that the Egyptians hate passionately, they will kill us by throwing stones at us! BSB BSB: But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable before the Egyptians, will they not stone us?
27 ARST We need to travel for three days into the wilderness. There we will offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God we worship, just as he commands us.” BSB BSB: We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.”
28 ARST So the king said,“I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the god you worship, in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me!” BSB BSB: Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
29 ARST Moses said{ to the king},“Listen to me! After I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh, asking that he would cause the swarms of flies to leave you, your slaves, and the rest of your people tomorrow. But do not lie to us again by refusing to let our people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh!” BSB BSB: “As soon as I leave you,” Moses said, “I will pray to the LORD, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD.”
30 ARST Then Moses left the king and prayed to Yahweh. BSB BSB: Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31 ARST Yahweh did what Moses asked. He got rid of the swarms of flies from around the king, his slaves, and the rest of his people. No flies remained. BSB BSB: and the LORD did as Moses requested. He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not one fly remained.
32 ARST But the king was stubborn this time also, and he did not allow the Israelites to go. BSB BSB: But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well, and he would not let the people go.