20 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Tomorrow arise early, and appear before Pharaoh.' Behold, he shall go to the water, and thou shalt say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me [in the wilderness];

21 And if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send against thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses, flies of dogs, and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with flies, and the very land in which they live.

22 And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, and there shall be no flies of dogs, that you may know that I am the Lord [God] in the midst of the earth.

23 I will make a separation between my people and between your people. Tomorrow will be this sign [on earth].

24 And so the Lord did: a multitude of dog flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was destroyed by the flies of the dogs.

25 And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Go and offer sacrifice to your God in this land.'

26 But Moses said, 'This cannot be done, for our sacrifice to the Lord our God is abhorrent to the Egyptians: if we offer a sacrifice that is abhorrent to the Egyptians in their eyes, will they not stone us?'

27 We will go into the wilderness, three days' journey, and offer sacrifice to the Lord our God, as [the Lord] shall tell us.

28 And Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go to offer sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, only do not go far; pray for me [the Lord].

29 Moses said, 'Behold, I am going out from you, and I will pray to the LORD, and the dogs of the flies shall depart from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people tomorrow, only let Pharaoh cease to deceive, not letting the people offer sacrifice to the Lord.'

30 And Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.

31 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and removed the flies of the dog from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people: there was not one left.

32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time too, and would not let the people go.

Chapter 9