1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘The Lord says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me. 2If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. 3The Nile River will be full of frogs. They will come up into your palace. You will have frogs in your bedroom and on your bed. They will be in the homes of your officials and your people. They will be in your ovens and in the bowls for kneading your bread. 4The frogs will be on you, your people and all your officials.” ’ ”
5Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Tell Aaron, ‘Reach out your hand. Hold your walking stick over the streams, canals and ponds. Make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ”
6So Aaron reached out his hand over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land. 7But the magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. They also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I’ll let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
9Moses said to Pharaoh, “You can have the honor of setting the time for me to pray. I will pray for you, your officials and your people. I’ll pray that the frogs will leave you and your homes. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile River.”
10“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will happen just as you say. Then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11The frogs will leave you and your houses. They will leave your officials and your people. The frogs will remain only in the Nile River.”
12Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh. Then Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, courtyards and fields. 14The Egyptians piled them up. The land smelled very bad because of them. 15But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were dead, he became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Gnats
16Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Tell Aaron, ‘Reach out your walking stick. Strike the dust on the ground with it.’ Then all over the land of Egypt the dust will turn into gnats.” 17So they did it. Aaron reached out the stick that was in his hand. He struck the dust on the ground with it. The dust all over the land of Egypt turned into gnats. They landed on people and animals alike. 18The magicians tried to produce gnats by doing their magic tricks. But they couldn’t.
The gnats stayed on people and animals everywhere. 19So the magicians said to Pharaoh, “God’s powerful finger has done this.” But Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn’t listen, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Flies
20Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Get up early in the morning. Talk to Pharaoh as he goes down to the Nile River. Say to him, ‘The Lord says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me. 21If you do not let my people go, I will send large numbers of flies. I will send them on you and your officials. I will send them on your people and into your homes. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies. Even the ground will be covered with them.
22“ ‘ “But on that day I will treat the area of Goshen differently from yours. That is where my people live. There will not be large numbers of flies in Goshen. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23I will treat my people differently from yours. This sign will take place tomorrow.” ’ ”
24So the Lord did it. Huge numbers of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace. They came into the homes of his officials. All over Egypt the flies destroyed the land.
25Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Go. Offer sacrifices to your God here in the land.”
26But Moses said, “That wouldn’t be right. The sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God wouldn’t be accepted by the Egyptians because of their beliefs. For that reason, they would throw stones at us and try to kill us. 27We have to take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, just as he commands us.”
28Pharaoh said, “I will let you and your people go to offer sacrifices. You can offer them to the Lord your God in the desert. But you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
29Moses replied, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord. Tomorrow the flies will leave you. They will also leave your officials and your people. Just be sure you don’t try to trick us again. Let the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
30Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31And the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh, his officials and his people. Not one fly remained. 32But Pharaoh became stubborn this time also. He wouldn’t let the people go.
蛙災
1耶和華對摩西說：「你進宮去告訴法老，『耶和華說，讓以色列百姓離開，好事奉我。 2如果你不聽從，我就使青蛙來毀壞你的國土。 3尼羅河將充滿青蛙，牠們要跳到你的宮裡、臥室和床鋪上，你的臣僕和百姓家裡，你的爐灶和揉麵盆裡。 4青蛙還會跳到你和你的百姓及眾臣僕身上。』」
5耶和華對摩西說：「你叫亞倫向埃及各地的江河、溪流和池塘伸杖，使青蛙遍佈埃及全境。」 6亞倫伸杖，青蛙就遍佈了埃及全境。 7巫師也行邪術如法炮製，叫青蛙上來。 8法老召摩西和亞倫進宮，對他們說：「你們快求耶和華，使這些青蛙離開我們，我便讓百姓去獻祭給耶和華。」 9摩西對法老說：「好吧，你要我在什麼時候為你以及你的臣僕和百姓禱告，叫這些青蛙離開你和你的宮殿，只留在河裡呢？」 10法老說：「明天。」摩西說：「就照你說的，這樣你就知道沒有神明能比得上我們的上帝耶和華。 11明天青蛙會離開你、你的宮殿、你的臣僕和百姓，只留在河裡。」 12摩西和亞倫離開法老後，摩西就為法老所受的蛙災一事向耶和華呼求。 13耶和華答應了摩西的祈求。凡在房屋內、院子裡和田野中的青蛙都死了。 14百姓把青蛙的屍體堆積起來，埃及全境都充滿了死青蛙的腐臭氣味。 15法老看見災難已經過去，便又硬著心，不肯聽從摩西和亞倫的話，正如耶和華所言。
虱災
16耶和華對摩西說：「你吩咐亞倫用杖擊打地上的塵土，使埃及境內的塵土變成蝨子。」 17他們就照上帝的吩咐去做，亞倫伸杖擊打地上的塵土，蝨子就跑到人和牲畜身上，全埃及的塵土都變成了蝨子。 18巫師們也試圖用邪術變出蝨子來，卻無法成功。埃及的百姓和牲畜身上長滿了蝨子。 19巫師們對法老說：「這是上帝的作為。」法老的心卻仍然剛硬，不肯答應摩西和亞倫的要求，正如耶和華所言。
蒼蠅之災
20耶和華對摩西說：「明天清早，你趁法老去河邊時去見他，告訴他，『耶和華說，放我的子民走，他們好事奉我， 21不然，我就叫無數的蒼蠅飛到你、你的臣僕和百姓身上，進到你們各自的家中，使埃及遍地佈滿蒼蠅。 22但那天，我子民居住的歌珊卻絲毫不會受攪擾，這樣你就知道我耶和華主宰天下。 23我要把我的子民跟你的百姓分開，明天我必行這神蹟。』」 24耶和華果然這樣行。密密麻麻的蒼蠅飛進法老的王宮和他臣僕的家裡，埃及全國都受到蒼蠅的毀壞。 25法老召見摩西和亞倫，對他們說：「你們可以去獻祭給你們的上帝，不過要在我的境內舉行。」 26摩西說：「這怎麼行？我們用來獻祭的東西，是埃及人最憎惡的。如果我們在埃及境內舉行這樣的儀式，他們一定會拿石頭打死我們。 27我們要照我們上帝耶和華的吩咐離開這裡，走三天的路程到曠野去獻祭給祂。」 28法老說：「好，我讓你們去曠野獻祭給你們的上帝耶和華，只是不要走得太遠。現在為我祈求吧。」 29摩西說：「我離開這裡就去祈求耶和華，使蒼蠅明天就離開你及你的臣僕和百姓，但這次你不可再食言，阻止以色列人去向耶和華獻祭。」 30摩西說完以後，便離開王宮，去祈求耶和華。 31耶和華就照摩西的祈求，使成群的蒼蠅離開法老及其臣僕和百姓，一隻也沒有留下。 32這一次，法老又硬著心，不肯讓百姓離開埃及。
