Shemot - Chapter 8

1. The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, stretch forth your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the ponds, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt."

2. And Aaron stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

3. And the necromancers did likewise with their secret rites, and they brought up the frogs on the land of Egypt.

4. Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let out the people [of Israel] so that they may sacrifice to the Lord."

5. And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Boast [of your superiority] over me. For when shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your houses, [that] they should remain only in the Nile? "

6. And he [Pharaoh] said, "For tomorrow." And he [Moses] said, "As you say, in order that you should know that there is none like the Lord, our God.

7. And the frogs will depart from you and from your houses and from your servants and from your people; only in the Nile will they remain."

8. And Moses and Aaron went away from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that He had brought upon Pharaoh.

9. And the Lord did according to Moses' word, and the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields.

10. They gathered them into many heaps, and the land stank.

11. When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken.

12. The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch forth your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it shall become lice throughout the entire land of Egypt.' "

13. They did so, and Aaron stretched forth his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and the lice were upon man and beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout the entire land of Egypt.

14. And the necromancers did likewise with their secret rites to bring out the lice, but they could not, and the lice were upon man and beast.

15. So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, "It is the finger of God," but Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken.

16. And the Lord said to Moses, "Arise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, behold, he is going out to the water, and you shall say to him, 'So said the Lord, "Let My people go out and serve Me.

17. For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will incite against you and against your servants and against your people and in your houses a mixture of noxious creatures, and the houses of Egypt will be filled with the mixture of noxious creatures, as well as the land upon which they are.

18. And I will separate on that day the land of Goshen, upon which My people stand, that there will be no mixture of noxious creatures there, in order that you know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

19. And I will make a redemption between My people and your people; this sign will come about tomorrow." ' "

20. The Lord did so, and a heavy mixture of noxious creatures came to Pharaoh's house and his servants' house, and throughout the entire land of Egypt, the land was destroyed because of the mixture of noxious creatures.

21. Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and he said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

22. But Moses said, "It is improper to do that, for we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to our God. Will we sacrifice the deity of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they will not stone us?

23. Let us go [for] a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as He will say to us."

24. Pharaoh said, "I will let you go out, and you will sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the desert, but do not go far away; entreat [Him] on my behalf."

25. Moses said, "Behold, I am going away from you, and I will entreat the Lord, and the mixture of noxious creatures will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only let Pharaoh not tease anymore, by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord."

26. So Moses went away from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.

27. And the Lord did according to Moses' word, and He removed the mixture of noxious creatures from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one was left.

28. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.