And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao, and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.

Dixit quoque Dominus ad Moysen: Ingredere ad Pharaonem, et dices ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Dimitte populum meum, ut sacrificet mihi:

Then the Lord bade Moses present himself before Pharao with this message from him, Give my people leave to go and offer me sacrifice;

But if thou wilt not let them go behold I will strike all thy coasts with frogs.

sin autem nolueris dimittere, ecce ego percutiam omnes terminos tuos ranis,

if thou dost refuse, I mean to plague thy whole country with frogs.

And the river shall bring forth an abundance of frogs: which shall come up, and enter into thy house, and thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the houses of thy servants, and to thy people, and into thy ovens, and into the remains of thy meats;

et ebulliet fluvius ranas: quæ ascendent, et ingredientur domum tuam, et cubiculum lectuli tui, et super stratum tuum, et in domos servorum tuorum, et in populum tuum, et in furnos tuos, et in reliquias ciborum tuorum:

The river shall swarm with frogs, which will come up out of it and find their way into thy palace, into thy bed-chamber, into thy bed itself; and so with all thy servants and all thy people, with thy ovens and thy larders;

And the frogs shall come in to thee, and to thy people, and to all thy servants.

et ad te, et ad populum tuum, et ad omnes servos tuos intrabunt ranæ.

neither thou nor thy servants nor thy people will be able to keep the frogs out.

And the Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Stretch forth thy hand upon the streams and upon the rivers and the pools, and bring forth frogs upon the land of Egypt.

Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Dic ad Aaron: Extende manum tuam super fluvios ac super rivos et paludes, et educ ranas super terram Ægypti.

Then the Lord would have Moses tell Aaron to stretch out his hand over river and channel and marsh, and bring up frogs all over Egypt;

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

Et extendit Aaron manum super aquas Ægypti, et ascenderunt ranæ, operueruntque terram Ægypti.

so Aaron stretched out his hand over all the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up till the whole land of Egypt was full of them.

And the magicians also by their enchantments did in like manner, and they brought forth frogs upon the land of Egypt.

Fecerunt autem et malefici per incantationes suas similiter, eduxeruntque ranas super terram Ægypti.

But the magicians, too, did as much with their spells; to fill Egypt with frogs was not beyond their powers.

But Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Pray ye to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.

Vocavit autem Pharao Moysen et Aaron, et dixit eis: Orate Dominum ut auferat ranas a me et a populo meo, et dimittam populum ut sacrificet Domino.

So Pharao summoned Moses and Aaron, and bade them entreat the Lord to rid him and his people of the frogs, promising that he would let the Israelites go and offer God sacrifice.

And Moses said to Pharao: Set me a time when I shall pray for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs may be driven away from thee and from thy house, and from thy servants, and from thy people: and may remain only in the river.

Dixitque Moyses ad Pharaonem: Constitue mihi quando deprecer pro te, et pro servis tuis, et pro populo tuo, ut abigantur ranæ a te, et a domo tua, et a servis tuis, et a populo tuo: et tantum in flumine remaneant.

Appoint a time, then, Moses said to him at which I shall pray for thee and thy servants and thy people, asking that the frogs may be driven away from thee and them, and no longer be found anywhere but in the river.

And he answered: To morrow. But he said: I will do according to thy word; that thou mayst know that there is none like to the Lord our God.

Qui respondit: Cras. At ille: Juxta, inquit, verbum tuum faciam: ut scias quoniam non est sicut Dominus Deus noster.

To-morrow, said he, and Moses answered, I will do what thou hast said, to let thee know that there is no other God like this Lord of ours;

And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy house, and from thy servants, and from thy people; and shall remain only in the river.

Et recedent ranæ a te, et a domo tua, et a servis tuis, et a populo tuo: et tantum in flumine remanebunt.

thou and thy palace and thy servants and thy people shall be rid of the frogs, and they will remain in the river, nowhere else.

And Moses and Aaron went forth from Pharao: and Moses cried to the Lord for the promise, which he had made to Pharao concerning the frogs.

Egressique sunt Moyses et Aaron a Pharaone: et clamavit Moyses ad Dominum pro sponsione ranarum quam condixerat Pharaoni.

So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharao’s presence, and Moses asked the Lord to grant what he had promised Pharao about the frogs.

And the Lord did according to the word of Moses: and the frogs died out of the houses, and out of the villages, and out of the fields:

Fecitque Dominus juxta verbum Moysi: et mortuæ sunt ranæ de domibus, et de villis, et de agris.

His prayer was answered; in house and farm and countryside all the frogs died,

And they gathered them together into immense heaps, and the land was corrupted.

Congregaveruntque eas in immensos aggeres, et computruit terra.

and must be collected in great heaps; the whole land stank with them.

And Pharao seeing that rest was given, hardened his own heart, and did not hear them, as the Lord had commanded.

Videns autem Pharao quod data esset requies, ingravavit cor suum, et non audivit eos, sicut præceperat Dominus.

As soon as Pharao found that a respite was granted him, he steeled his heart against the Lord’s will, and would not heed their warning.

And the Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron, Stretch forth thy rod, and strike the dust of the earth: and may there be sciniphs in all the land of Egypt.

Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Loquere ad Aaron: Extende virgam tuam, et percute pulverem terræ: et sint sciniphes in universa terra Ægypti.

So the Lord would have Moses tell Aaron to hold out his staff and strike the dust on the ground with it, to bring gnats upon the whole land of Egypt.

And they did so. And Aaron stretched forth his hand, holding the rod: and he struck the dust of the earth, and there came sciniphs on men and on beasts: all the dust of the earth was turned into sciniphs through all the land of Egypt.

Feceruntque ita. Et extendit Aaron manum, virgam tenens: percussitque pulverem terræ, et facti sunt sciniphes in hominibus, et in jumentis: omnis pulvis terræ versus est in sciniphes per totam terram Ægypti.

The command was obeyed; and when Aaron stretched out his hand, with the staff in it, and smote the dust on the ground, gnats settled on man and beast; all over Egypt the dust on the ground turned to gnats.

And the magicians with their enchantments practised in like manner, to bring forth sciniphs, and they could not: and there were sciniphs as well on men as on beasts.

Feceruntque similiter malefici incantationibus suis, ut educerent sciniphes, et non potuerunt: erantque sciniphes tam in hominibus quam in jumentis.

When the magicians tried to do as much with their spells, they found they could not, but still the gnats came and settled on man and beast,

And the magicians said to Pharao: This is the finger of God. And Pharao’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had commanded.

Et dixerunt malefici ad Pharaonem: Digitus Dei est hic; induratumque est cor Pharaonis, et non audivit eos sicut præceperat Dominus.

till the magicians told Pharao, This is God’s handiwork; but Pharao’s heart was hardened, and still he would not listen to them, or obey the Lord’s will.

The Lord also said to Moses: Arise early, and stand before Pharao: for he will go forth to the waters: and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Let my people go to sacrifice to me.

Dixit quoque Dominus ad Moysen: Consurge diluculo, et sta coram Pharaone: egredietur enim ad aquas: et dices ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi.

So the Lord said to Moses, Rise up early, and present thyself before Pharao; thou wilt find he has gone out to the water side. Give him this message from the Lord, Let my people go and offer me sacrifice;

But if thou wilt not let them go, behold I will send in upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy houses all kind of flies: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with flies of divers kinds, and the whole land wherein they shall be.

Quod si non dimiseris eum, ecce ego immittam in te, et in servos tuos, et in populum tuum, et in domos tuas, omne genus muscarum: et implebuntur domus Ægyptiorum muscis diversi generis, et universa terra in qua fuerint.

if thou dost not send them on their way, I will send on thee, thy servants, thy people, and the houses in thy land, flies of all sorts; flies of every kind shall swarm in the houses of the Egyptians, and all over the land in which they dwell.

And I will make the land of Gessen wherein my people is, wonderful in that day, so that flies shall not be there: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.

Faciamque mirabilem in die illa terram Gessen, in qua populus meus est, ut non sint ibi muscæ: et scias quoniam ego Dominus in medio terræ.

But I will shew signal favour to the land of Gessen, where my own people dwell, sparing it from the flies; am I not Lord in every part of the earth?

And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

Ponamque divisionem inter populum meum et populum tuum: cras erit signum istud.

My people shall not fare as thine; to-morrow shall see this portent happen.

And the Lord did so. And there came a very grievous swarm of flies into the houses of Pharao and of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: and the land was corrupted by this kind of flies.

Fecitque Dominus ita. Et venit musca gravissima in domos Pharaonis et servorum ejus, et in omnem terram Ægypti: corruptaque est terra ab hujuscemodi muscis.

And the Lord carried out his threat; into the houses of Pharao and his servants and upon all the land of Egypt came a grievous swarm of flies, such a swarm as tainted the whole land by its presence.

And Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Go, and sacrifice to your God in this land.

Vocavitque Pharao Moysen et Aaron, et ait eis: Ite et sacrificate Deo vestro in terra hac.

Then Pharao summoned Moses and Aaron to him; Go and sacrifice to your God, he said, but here, in this land.

And Moses said: It cannot be so: for we shall sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: now if we kill those things which the Egyptians worship, in their presence, they will stone us.

Et ait Moyses: Non potest ita fieri: abominationes enim Ægyptiorum immolabimus Domino Deo nostro: quod si mactaverimus ea quæ colunt Ægyptii coram eis, lapidibus nos obruent.

That may not be, said Moses; do we not sacrifice to the Lord what the Egyptians worship? If we are seen slaughtering the very beasts which the Egyptians hold sacred, they will stone us.

We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness: and we will sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.

Viam trium dierum pergemus in solitudinem: et sacrificabimus Domino Deo nostro, sicut præcepit nobis.

We will do what the Lord bade us do, go out three days’ march into the desert and offer him sacrifice there.

And Pharao said: I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness: but go no farther: pray for me.

Dixitque Pharao: Ego dimittam vos ut sacrificetis Domino Deo vestro in deserto: verumtamen longius ne abeatis, rogate pro me.

Then Pharao said, You shall go and sacrifice to the Lord your God in the desert, provided it is no long distance away; now go and use your prayers on my behalf.

And Moses said: I will go out from thee, and will pray to the Lord: and the flies shall depart from Pharao, and from his servants, and from his people to morrow: but do not deceive any more, in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.

At ait Moyses: Egressus a te, orabo Dominum: et recedet musca a Pharaone, et a servis suis, et a populo ejus cras: verumtamen noli ultra fallere, ut non dimittas populum sacrificare Domino.

When I leave thy presence, said Moses, I will pray to the Lord, and to-morrow Pharao and his servants and his people shall be rid of the flies; only do not play us false again by holding the people back from their sacrifice.

So Moses went out from Pharao, and prayed to the Lord.

Egressusque Moyses a Pharaone, oravit Dominum.

So Moses left Pharao’s presence, and prayed to the Lord,

And he did according to his word: and he took away the flies from Pharao, and from his servants, and from his people: there was not left so much as one.

Qui fecit juxta verbum illius, et abstulit muscas a Pharaone, et a servis suis, et a populo ejus: non superfuit ne una quidem.

and what he had promised, the Lord granted, ridding Pharao and his servants and his people of the flies, until not one was left.

And Pharao’s heart was hardened, so that neither this time would he let the people go.

Et ingravatum est cor Pharaonis, ita ut nec hac quidem vice dimitteret populum.

But the heart of Pharao was still obdurate, and once more he would not let the people go.