Study Desk

Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs.

Tell him: Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness, but so far you have not listened.

But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

But if you refuse to let them go, then I will plague all your territory with frogs.

But the magicians did the same thing by their occult practices and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

The magicians tried to produce gnats using their occult practices, but they could not. The gnats remained on man and beast.

"This is the finger of God," the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

But if you will not let My people go, then I will send swarms of flies against you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The Egyptians' houses will swarm with flies, and so will the land where they live.

But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, Yahweh, am in the land.

But Moses said, "It would not be right to do that, because what we will sacrifice to the Lord our God is detestable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what the Egyptians detest in front of them, won't they stone us?

Pharaoh responded, "I will let you go and sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but don't go very far. Make an appeal for me."

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

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

But if you refuse to let them go and keep holding them,

But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die."

The Lord did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, but none among the Israelite livestock died.

Pharaoh sent messengers who saw that not a single one of the Israelite livestock was dead. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had told Moses.

but those who didn't take the Lord 's word seriously left their servants and livestock in the field.