The Lord spoke again to Moses, telling him to confront Pharaoh: "Let my people go so they may worship Me. If you refuse, I will flood your land with frogs. They will come up from the Nile into your palace, your bedroom, even onto your bed. They will swarm your officials, your people, your ovens, and your kneading troughs."
So the Lord commanded Aaron through Moses to stretch out his staff over the rivers, streams, and ponds of Egypt. When Aaron obeyed, frogs came up in countless numbers, covering the land. Pharaoh's magicians imitated this wonder by their own arts, summoning frogs as well.
Pharaoh, troubled by the plague, called Moses and Aaron to him. "Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away," he pleaded. "If you do, I will let your people go to sacrifice to the Lord." Moses gave Pharaoh the choice of setting the time when the frogs would disappear. Pharaoh chose the next day. Moses prayed, and the Lord did as he asked. The frogs died out in houses, courtyards, and fields, and the Egyptians piled them in heaps until the land reeked. But when Pharaoh saw relief, his heart hardened again, and he refused to listen.
Then the Lord told Moses to command Aaron to strike the dust of the ground with his staff. Aaron did so, and the dust of Egypt turned into gnats, swarming over people and animals alike. The magicians tried to do the same, but they could not. They turned to Pharaoh and said, "This is the finger of God." Yet Pharaoh's heart remained stubborn.
Next, the Lord told Moses to rise early and meet Pharaoh by the water again. "If you refuse to let My people go," the Lord warned, "I will send dense swarms of flies upon you, your officials, and your people. Your houses will be filled with them, and even the ground will be covered. But in the land of Goshen, where My people live, there will be no flies, so you will know that I, the Lord, make a distinction between Egypt and Israel."
The next day, swarms of flies poured into Egypt, covering the land and ruining it. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron again. "Go, sacrifice to your God," he said, "but do it here in Egypt." Moses refused, explaining that the Israelites' sacrifices would be offensive to the Egyptians and might lead to violence. Instead, they must journey three days into the desert as the Lord commanded.
Pharaoh agreed but warned them not to go very far. "Now pray for me," he added. Moses promised to pray, but he warned Pharaoh not to deal deceitfully again. He prayed, and the Lord answered, removing every fly from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single one remained.
Yet even after this, Pharaoh hardened his heart once more and would not let the Israelites go.