Exodus 8
God plagues Egypt with frogs
Then the Existing One told Moses to approach Pharaoh and tell him,
“Release my people so they can serve me. If you refuse to release them, I will strike your whole region with frogs. The Nile will be teeming with frogs that will climb out and into your houses. They’ll crawl into your bedrooms, into your beds, into your slave’s houses, all over your bodies and your slaves’ bodies.”
Then the Existing One told Moses to tell Aaron,
“Take your staff and extend your hand over the streams, canals, and pools, and make frogs climb out onto the land of Egypt.”
So Aaron extended his hand over Egypt’s waters, and frogs climbed up and covered the country of Egypt. The mages did the same with their enchantments, making frogs climb up to the land.
Then Pharaoh summoned Aaron and Moses and said,
“If you implore the Existing One to remove the frogs from me and my people, then I will release the people so they can sacrifice to the Existing one.”
Moses told Pharaoh,
“The decision is yours to make: when should I pray for the frogs to be removed from you and your households so that they only remain in the Nile?”
Pharaoh answered,
“Tomorrow.”
Moses replied,
“May your request be fulfilled so that you will know there isn’t anything else like the Existing One our God. The frogs will depart from you, your households, your servants, and your people. They’ll only remain in the Nile.”
Then Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Existing one about the frogs he sent to Pharaoh. The Existing One did what Moses had asked, and the frogs died out from the houses, yards, and fields. So they piled them in heaps, and the land smelled horrible. But when Pharaoh saw that they had been relieved of their problem, he thickened his heart and didn’t grant them their request, just like the Existing One had foretold.
God plagues Egypt with gnats
Then the Existing One told Moses to tell Aaron,
“Hold out your staff and strike the dust on the ground so that it would become gnats all throughout the country of Egypt.”
That’s what they did. Aaron extended his arm with staff in hand and struck the dust on the ground, and there were gnats on all the people and livestock. All the dust on the ground became gnats all throughout the country of Egypt. The mages cast their enchantments to expel gnats, but they couldn’t… so there were gnats all over the people and livestock. The mages told Pharaoh,
“This is the finger of God.”
But Pharaoh’s heart thickened, and he didn’t listen to them just like the Existing One had foretold.
God plagues Egypt with flies
Now the Existing one told Moses,
“Get up early in the morning and visit Pharaoh. As he comes out toward the water, tell him that the Existing One says,
‘Release my people so they can work for me. If you don’t release my people, I’ll send swarms of flies to you, your servants, and your households. Swarms of flies will fill the Egyptians’ houses and cover the regions where they live. But at that time I’ll set apart the region of Goshen where my people live so that there won’t be any fly swarms there. I’ll do that so you might know that I, the Existing One, am in the midst of that region. I’ll set up an exemption between my people and your people. This signal will come about tomorrow.’”
Then that’s what the Existing One did. Heavy swarms of flies invaded Pharaoh’s house and his servants’ houses as that region was destroyed by the flies that swarmed the country of Egypt.
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said,
“Go ahead and sacrifice to your God right here in the country.”
But Moses said,
“It wouldn’t be right for us to do that, because the Egyptians would be disgusted by our sacrifice to the Existing One our God. If the Egyptians are disgusted by our sacrifice, don’t you think they’d stone us to death? We’ll need to take a 3-day journey into the uninhabited land and sacrifice to the Existing One our God in the way that he told us.”
Pharaoh said,
“Okay, then I’ll permit you to go sacrifice to the Existing One your God in the uninhabited land, but you can’t go too far away. Plead for me when you get there.”
Moses said,
“I’ll leave here and plead to the Existing One that the swarms of flies will leave you, your servants, and your people tomorrow. Just don’t let your heart become so exalted that you prevent the Israelites from sacrificing to the Existing One again.”
So Moses left and pleaded with the Existing One. The Existing One did what Moses asked and removed the fly swarms from Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s servants, and Pharaoh’s people. Not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time too, and he didn’t release the people.