Exodus 8 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'This is what Yahweh says: Let my people go so they can worship me.'"

"If you refuse to let them go, I will strike your whole country with frogs."

"The Nile will swarm with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls."

"The frogs will come up on you, on your people, and on all your officials."

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to stretch out his hand with his staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and make frogs come up onto the land of Egypt."

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

But the magicians did the same thing with their secret arts — they also made frogs come up onto the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to Yahweh to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let the people go so they can offer sacrifices to Yahweh."

Moses said to Pharaoh, "You set the time! When should I pray for you, your officials, and your people, to get rid of the frogs from you and your houses? They will remain only in the Nile."

"Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be just as you say, so that you will know there is no one like Yahweh our God."

"The frogs will leave you, your houses, your officials, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile."

Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to Yahweh about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.

Yahweh did what Moses asked — the frogs died in the houses, courtyards, and fields.

They piled them up in heap after heap, and the whole land reeked.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to stretch out his staff and strike the dust of the ground, and throughout the whole land of Egypt the dust will become gnats."

They did it — Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, struck the dust of the ground, and gnats came on people and animals alike. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.

The magicians tried to produce gnats with their secret arts, but they could not. And the gnats were on people and animals everywhere.

The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he refused to listen to them, just as Yahweh had said.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh as he goes down to the water. Tell him, 'This is what Yahweh says: Let my people go so they can worship me.'"

"If you will not let my people go, I am about to send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and even the ground where they stand."

"But on that day I will treat the region of Goshen differently — where my people live. No swarms of flies will be there. This way you will know that I, Yahweh, am present in this land."

"I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow."

And Yahweh did exactly that. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout all of Egypt, the land was devastated by the flies.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, offer sacrifices to your God — but do it here in this country."

But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer to Yahweh our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offered sacrifices that the Egyptians find detestable right in front of them, wouldn't they stone us?"

"We need to go a three-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to Yahweh our God, just as he tells us to."

Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh your God in the wilderness — but don't go very far. Now pray for me."

Moses said, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh. Tomorrow the swarms of flies will leave Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. But Pharaoh must not deal deceptively again by refusing to let the people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh."

Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh.

And Yahweh did what Moses asked — he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people. Not a single one remained.

But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time too, and he would not let the people go.