The Second Plague: Frogs 1 UDB 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 UDB But if you do not let them go, 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 UDB Not only will the Nile River be full of frogs, but also the frogs will 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 servants 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 UDB The frogs will jump up on you, your people, and the rest of your servants.'" BSB BSB: The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’”
5 UDB 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 pools, 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 UDB 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 UDB But the men who did magic did the same thing, 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 UDB Then the king called Moses and said, "Ask Yahweh to take away these frogs 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 UDB Moses said to the king, "I will be glad to pray for you, for your officials, and for the rest of your people. I will ask Yahweh to get rid of the frogs from all your houses. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile River. Just tell me when I should pray." 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 UDB The king replied, "Tomorrow." So Moses said, "I will do what you say, and then you will know that Yahweh God, the one we worship, is the only true god, and that there is no other god like him. 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 UDB The frogs will leave you, your houses, your servants, and your people. The only ones left will be 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 UDB Then Moses and Aaron left the king. Moses prayed to Yahweh, asking him to take away all the frogs he had brought to the king's land. 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 UDB 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 UDB 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 UDB But when the king saw that the problem was ended, he became 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.
The Third Plague: Gnats 16 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the ground with his staff. When he does that, all the fine particles of earth will become gnats all over the land of Egypt." 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 UDB Moses and Aaron obeyed Yahweh. Aaron struck the ground with his staff, and all over Egypt the fine particles of earth became gnats. The gnats covered the people and all their 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 UDB The men who worked magic tried to cause gnats to appear, but they could not do it. So the gnats stayed on the people and on their 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 UDB The men who worked magic said to the king, "It is God who has done this with his power!" But the king continued to be stubborn, and he would not pay attention to what Aaron and Moses said, just as Yahweh had said. 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.
The Fourth Plague: Flies 20 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early tomorrow morning. Go down to the river and wait for the king. When he comes to bathe, say to him, 'This is what Yahweh says to you: "Let my people go, in order that they may worship me in the desert. 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 UDB I warn you that if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies to you. They will come on you, on your servants, and on the rest of your people, and your houses. The Egyptians' houses will be full of swarms of flies. They will even cover the ground on which you will be standing. 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 UDB 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 doing these things 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 UDB I will show you how I act toward my people and how I act toward your people. This miracle is going to happen tomorrow!"'" BSB BSB: I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
24 UDB Early the next morning, Moses told that to the king, but the king would not listen. So Yahweh did what he said he would do. He sent great swarms of flies into the palace of the king and into the houses of his officials. The whole country of Egypt was ruined by the flies. 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 UDB Then the king called Aaron and Moses and said, "You Israelite people can go and worship your god, but you must do it here in this land." BSB BSB: Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
26 UDB But Moses replied, "It would not be right for us to do that because we will offer sacrifices that are very offensive to the Egyptian people. If we offer sacrifices that the Egyptian people do not like, 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 UDB 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 UDB So the king said, "I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, your god, 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 UDB Moses said, "Listen to me! After I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh, asking that tomorrow he will cause the swarms of flies to leave you, Pharaoh, your servants and the rest of your people. 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 UDB Then Moses left the king and prayed to Yahweh. BSB BSB: Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31 UDB Yahweh did what Moses asked. He got rid of the swarms of flies from around the king, his officials, 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 UDB But the king was stubborn this time also, and he did not allow the Israelite people to go. BSB BSB: But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well, and he would not let the people go.