Editing Plagues of Egypt (section)

== List of the disasters ==
[[File:Tissot Water Is Changed into Blood.jpg|thumb|The first plague: ''Water Is Changed into Blood'', [[James Tissot]]]]

=== The Nile becomes a river of blood===
{{blockquote|This is what the [[Yahweh|{{LORD}}]] says: By this you will know that I am the {{LORD}}: With the staff that is in my hands I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink and the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.|Exodus 7:17–18<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|7:17–18}}</ref>}}

The [[Hebrew Bible]]'s [[Book of Exodus]] says that Moses turned the Nile to blood by striking it with his staff. Pharaoh's magicians used their secret arts to also strike the Nile, creating a second layer of blood. In addition to the Nile, all water that was held in reserve, such as jars, was also transformed into blood. The Egyptians were forced to dig alongside the bank of the Nile, which still had pure water. One week passed before the plague dissipated.<ref name=":0" />

===Frogs emerge from the Nile and infest Egypt===
{{anchor|Frogs2ndPlague}}
{{See also|Va'eira}}

{{blockquote|This is what the great {{LORD}} says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.|Exodus 8:1–4<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|8:1–4}}</ref>}}

Exodus states that God ordered frogs to emerge from the Nile, which then jumped around virtually everywhere in Egypt. The magicians attempted to produce frogs from their secret arts, conjuring up a second wave of frogs. Even the private quarters of Pharaoh was infested with frogs. Three days passed before all the frogs died. The Egyptians had to do much work to rid themselves of the corpses, and the land stank of frog for long afterwards. When the decision came for Pharaoh about the slaves, the Pharaoh hardened his heart and decided that the slaves would not be freed.

=== Gnats emerge from the ground and infest Egypt ===

{{blockquote|"And the {{LORD}} said{{nbsp}}[...] Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become  gnats throughout all the land of Egypt."{{nbsp}}[...] When Aaron stretched out his hand with the rod and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became lice.|Exodus 8:16–17<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|8:16–17}}</ref>}}

=== Wild animals or flies harm Egyptians and their livestock ===

{{blockquote|Thus says the {{LORD}}: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For if you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, and your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies; so also the land where they live. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I the {{LORD}} am in this land. Thus I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign shall appear tomorrow.|Exodus 8:20-23<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|8:20-23}}</ref>}}

The fourth plague of Egypt was of creatures capable of harming people and livestock. Exodus states that the plagues only came against the Egyptians and did not affect the Hebrews. Pharaoh asked Moses to remove this plague and promised to grant the Israelites their freedom. However, after the plague was gone, Pharaoh refused to keep his promise, as his heart was hardened by God.

Various sources use either "wild animals" or "flies".<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ten Plagues|url=https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1653/jewish/The-Ten-Plagues.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402064833/https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1653/jewish/The-Ten-Plagues.htm|archive-date=April 2, 2020|access-date=April 8, 2020|website=Chabad.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/exodus/8.html|title=Exodus 8 – LXX Bible|website=Bible Study Tools|access-date=2019-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422151522/https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/exodus/8.html|archive-date=April 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Philo: On the Life of Moses, I|url=http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book24.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418232308/http://earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book24.html|archive-date=April 18, 2019|access-date=2019-04-22|website=Early Jewish Writings}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baslibrary.org/bible-review/19/2/2|title=Beasts or Bugs?|date=2015-08-24|website=The BAS Library|language=en|access-date=2019-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422142811/https://www.baslibrary.org/bible-review/19/2/2|archive-date=April 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Mass death of Egyptian livestock to pestilence ===

{{blockquote|This is what the {{LORD}}, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the {{LORD}} will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.|Exodus 9:1–3<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|9:1–3}}</ref>}}

=== Boils infect Egyptians and their livestock ===
[[File:Egyptian plague of boils in the Toggenburg Bible.jpg|thumb|The sixth plague: miniature out of the [[Toggenburg Bible]], created {{Circa|1411}}. Commonly the picture is mistaken as a depiction of the [[Black Death]]. ]]

{{blockquote|Then the {{LORD}} said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."|Exodus 9:8–9<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|9:8–9}}</ref>}}

=== Thunderstorm and hail ===

{{blockquote|This is what the {{LORD}}, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.{{nbsp}}[...] The {{LORD}} sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the {{LORD}} rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.|Exodus 9:13–24<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|9:13–24}}</ref>}}

=== {{anchor|Locusts}}Locust swarm ===

{{blockquote|This is what the {{LORD}}, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.|Exodus 10:3–6<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|10:3–6}}</ref>}}

=== Three days of total darkness ===
[[File:Spanish 15th Century, Massacre of the Firstborn and Egyptian Darkness, c. 1490, NGA 3930.jpg|thumb|Spanish 15th century, ''Massacre of the Firstborn and Egyptian Darkness'', {{c.|1490}}, hand-colored woodcut]]

{{blockquote|Then the {{LORD}} said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.|Exodus 10:21–23<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|10:21–23}}</ref>}}

=== {{anchor|plague10}} Death of every Egyptian's firstborn son === <!-- This section is linked from [[Passover]] -->

{{blockquote|This is what the {{LORD}} says: "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again."|Exodus 11:4–6<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|11:4–6}}</ref>}}

Before this final plague, God commands Moses to tell the Israelites to mark a [[domestic sheep|lamb]]'s blood above their doors in order that the Angel of Death will pass over them (i.e., that they will not be touched by the death of the firstborn). Pharaoh orders the Israelites to leave, taking whatever they want, and asks Moses to bless him in the name of the Lord. The passage goes on to state that the [[passover]] sacrifice recalls the time when the Lord "passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt".<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|12:27|NKJV}}</ref>