The Fourth Plague: Flies
24[Day 13] And YHVH did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of flies.
25Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
26But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to YHVH our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable before the Egyptians, will they not stone us? 27We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to YHVH our Elohim as He commands us.”
28Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to YHVH your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
29“As soon as I leave you,” Moses said, “I will pray to YHVH, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to YHVH.”