When<n id="1" /> Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the <sc>Lordsc> had commanded them &#8211; Aaron threw<n id="2" /> down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants and it became a snake.<n id="3" />

Moses and Aaron did so,<n id="1" /> just as the <sc>Lordsc> had commanded. Moses raised<n id="2" /> the staff<n id="3" /> and struck the water that was in the Nile right before the eyes<n id="4" /> of Pharaoh and his servants,<n id="5" /> and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.<n id="6" />

If you do not release<n id="1" /> my people, then I am going to send<n id="2" /> swarms of flies<n id="3" /> on you and on your servants and on your people and in your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground they stand on.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">Moses said, &#8220;I am going to go out<n id="1" /> from you and pray to the <sc>Lordsc>, and the swarms of flies will go away from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only do not let Pharaoh deal falsely again<n id="2" /> by not releasing<n id="3" /> the people to sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;

For this time I will send all my plagues<n id="1" /> on your very self<n id="2" /> and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said<n id="2" /> to Moses, &#8220;Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to display<n id="3" /> these signs of mine before him,<n id="4" />

They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of Egypt, such as<n id="1" /> neither<n id="2" /> your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they have been<n id="3" /> in the land until this day!&#8217;&#8221; Then Moses<n id="4" /> turned and went out from Pharaoh.p>

<p class="bodytext">Pharaoh&#8217;s servants said to him, &#8220;How long<n id="1" /> will this man be a menace<n id="2" /> to us? Release the people so that they may serve the <sc>Lordsc> their God. Do you not know<n id="3" /> that Egypt is destroyed?&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">(Now the <sc>Lordsc> granted the people favor with<n id="1" /> the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh&#8217;s servants and by the Egyptian people.)<n id="2" />p>

All these your servants will come down to me and bow down<n id="1" /> to me, saying, &#8216;Go, you and all the people who follow<n id="2" /> you,&#8217; and after that I will go out.&#8221; Then Moses<n id="3" /> went out from Pharaoh in great anger.p>

Pharaoh got up<n id="1" /> in the night,<n id="2" /> along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house<n id="3" /> in which there was not someone dead.

<p class="bodytext">Moses said to the people, &#8220;Remember<n id="1" /> this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved,<n id="2" /> for the <sc>Lordsc> brought you out of there<n id="3" /> with a mighty hand &#8211; and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">When it was reported<n id="1" /> to the king of Egypt that the people had fled,<n id="2" /> the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said,<n id="3" /> &#8220;What in the world have we done?<n id="4" /> For we have released the people of Israel<n id="5" /> from serving us!&#8221;

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, &#8216;I will multiply your descendants<n id="1" /> like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about<n id="2" /> I will give to your descendants,<n id="3" /> and they will inherit it forever.&#8217;&#8221;

And Moses said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Why have you afflicted<n id="1" /> your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that<n id="2" /> you lay the burden of this entire people on me?

<p class="bodytext">Balaam replied<n id="1" /> to the servants of Balak, &#8220;Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment<n id="2" /> of the <sc>Lordsc> my God<n id="3" /> to do less or more.

&#8220;O, Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="1" /> you have begun to show me<n id="2" /> your greatness and strength.<n id="3" /> (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?)

Recall that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the <sc>Lordsc> your God brought you out of there by strength and power.<n id="1" /> That is why the <sc>Lordsc> your God has commanded you to observe<n id="2" /> the Sabbath day.

Rather it is because of his<n id="1" /> love<n id="2" /> for you and his faithfulness to the promise<n id="3" /> he solemnly vowed<n id="4" /> to your ancestors<n id="5" /> that the <sc>Lordsc> brought you out with great power,<n id="6" /> redeeming<n id="7" /> you from the place of slavery, from the power<n id="8" /> of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Only in the presence of the <sc>Lordsc> your God may you eat these, in the place he<n id="1" /> chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites<n id="2" /> in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the <sc>Lordsc> your God in all the output of your labor.<n id="3" />