NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 110
J A N U A R Y
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the frogs. They will remain only in the
Nile River.”
10“Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
“All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as
you have said. Then you will know that
there is no one like the Lord our God.
11 The frogs will leave you and your
houses, your officials, and your people.
They will remain only in the Nile River.”
12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s
palace, and Moses cried out to the Lord
about the frogs he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 13And the Lord did just what
Moses had predicted. The frogs in the
houses, the courtyards, and the fields all
died. 14The Egyptians piled them into
great heaps, 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.
16So 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.’”
17So 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. 18Pharaoh’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.
20Then 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. 21If 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. 22But this time I will spare the re-
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gion 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. 23I will make a clear distinction
between* my people and your people.
This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24And 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.”
29Moses answered, “As soon as I leave
you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the swarms 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.”
30So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and
pleaded with the Lord to remove all the
flies. 31And 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.
32But Pharaoh again became stubborn
and refused to let the people go.
9:1“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. 2If you continue to hold them and
