But I will not treat the people of Israel the same as the Egyptian people. There will not be any flies in Goshen, where my people live. In this way you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.
You tell him, ‘We are shepherds. All our lives we have been shepherds. And our ancestors [249] were shepherds before us.’ Then Pharaoh will allow you to live in the land of Goshen. Egyptian people don’t like shepherds, so it is better that you stay in Goshen.”
The Lord will help your kingdom grow.\par Your kingdom will start at Zion, {\cf2\super [573]} \par and \{it will grow until\} you rule\par your enemies in their own countries!\par
None of the people could see each other. And no one got up to go any place for three days. But there was light in all the places where the people of Israel lived.
But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over [66] your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of those bad diseases will hurt you.
So now I tell you to obey my commands. Keep my Agreement. If you do this, then you will be my own special people. The whole world belongs to me. But I am choosing you to be my own special people.
Why? Because the Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, God rested. In this way, the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. The Lord made that a very special day.
So the Lord says that he will do something to show you that he is the Lord. I will hit the water of the Nile River with this walking stick in my hand, and the river will change into blood.
Then the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord. I will be against them, and they will know that I am the Lord. Then I will lead my people out of their country.”
If you don’t let my people go, then flies will come into your houses. The flies will be on you and your officials. The houses of Egypt will be full of flies. The flies will be all over the ground too!
Moses told Pharaoh, “When I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer to the Lord. And the thunder and hail will stop. Then you will know that the Lord is in this land.