Study Desk

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

"Tomorrow," Pharaoh answered. "It will be as you say," Moses replied, "so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water, stand before him and tell him that this is what the LORD says: 'Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of flies.

"As soon as I leave you," Moses said, "I will pray to the LORD, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.'"

So Pharaoh sent officials, who saw that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.

So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.'"

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt-on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt."

So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.

Moses said to him, "When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD's.

So Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD."

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.

They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.