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EXODUS 9
page 59
and a terrible stench filled the land. 15 But when
Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became
stubborn.* He refused to listen to Moses and
Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
A Plague of Gnats
16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise
your staff and strike the ground. The dust will
turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land
of Egypt.’” 17 So Moses and Aaron did just as
the Lord had commanded them. When Aaron
raised his hand and struck the ground with his
staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the
Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the
land of Egypt turned into gnats. 18 Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats
covered everyone, people and animals alike.
19 “This is the finger of God!” the magicians
exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as
the Lord had predicted.
A Plague of Flies
20 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the
morning and stand in Pharaoh’s way as he goes
down to the river. Say to him, ‘This is what the
Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 21 If you refuse, then I will send swarms
of flies on you, your officials, your people, and
all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be
filled with flies, and the ground will be covered
with them. 22 But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies
will be found there. Then you will know that I
am the Lord and that I am present even in the
heart of your land. 23 I will make a clear distinction between* my people and your people. This
miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24 And the Lord did just as he had said. A thick
swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s palace and the
houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt
was thrown into chaos by the flies.
25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All
right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your
God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
26 But Moses replied, “That wouldn’t be right.
The Egyptians detest the sacrifices that we offer
to the Lord our God. Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the Egyptians can see us, they
will stone us. 27 We must take a three-day trip
into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord
our God, just as he has commanded us.”
28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied.
“I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far
away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you,
I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms
8:15 Hebrew made his heart heavy; also in 8:32. 8:23 As in
Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads I will set redemption
between. 9:7 Hebrew heavy.
of flies will disappear from you and your officials and all your people. But I am warning you,
Pharaoh, don’t lie to us again and refuse to let
the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and pleaded
with the Lord to remove all the flies. 31 And the
Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms
of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials,
and his people. Not a single fly remained. 32 But
Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to
let the people go.
A Plague against Livestock
“Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what
the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my
people go, so they can worship me. 2 If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go,
3 the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle,
sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague. 4 But
the Lord will again make a distinction between
the livestock of the Israelites and that of the
Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals
will die! 5 The Lord has already set the time for
the plague to begin. He has declared that he will
strike the land tomorrow.’”
6 And the Lord did just as he had said. The
next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians
died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal. 7 Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate,
and they discovered that the Israelites had not
lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s
heart remained stubborn,* and he still refused
to let the people go.
9
A Plague of Festering Boils
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
“Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and
• Habits
E XODU S 8:28-32
Pharaoh here used an extreme form of
“the check’s in the mail.” We lie when we
distort the truth to serve selfish purposes,
and if we’re not careful, such dishonesty
will become a habit. Pharaoh had twice
promised to let Moses and the children of
Israel go. Both times he made the promise
only to escape the discomfort of the
plagues, and as soon as the threatening
situations had passed, he broke his
promise. On a smaller scale, it’s quite easy
for us to form the habit of keeping our
word only when it’s comfortable. Examine
your dealings with others, and unlearn
any sinful habits before, like Pharaoh,
you must learn the hard way.