The Plague of Flies

Next the Lord told Moses, "Get up early in the morning and meet Pharaoh as he comes out to the river to bathe, and say to him, 'Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me. If you refuse I will send swarms of flies throughout Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them and the ground will be covered with them.

"But it will be very different in the land of Goshen where the Israelis live. No flies will be there; thus you will know that I am the Lord God of all the earth, for I will make a distinction between your people and my people. All this will happen tomorrow."'"

And Jehovah did as he had said, so that there were terrible swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and in every home in Egypt.

Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "All right, go ahead and sacrifice to your God, but do it here in the land. Don't go out into the wilderness."

But Moses replied, "That won't do! Our sacrifices to God are hated by the Egyptians, and if we do this right here before their eyes, they will kill us. We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God, as he commanded us."

"All right, go ahead," Pharaoh replied, "but don't go too far away. Now, hurry and plead with God for me."

"Yes," Moses said, "I will ask him the cause the swarms of flies to disappear. But I am warning you that you must never again lie to us by promising to let the people go and then changing your mind."

So Moses went out from Pharaoh and asked the Lord to get rid of the flies. And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms to disappear, so that not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not let the people go!

The Plague on Livestock »

TEXT SOURCE: (Exodus 8:20-32) The Children's Living Bible, ©1970 Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187
TITLE SOURCE: The New Student Bible, ©1992 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan 49530