66

and the beautiful river, all were
blood. The fish died; the Hgyp-
tians could not drink the water of
the river; and their river god could
not’ help them now. Did they re-
pent, and ask God to forgive them?
No; and therefore God sent a new
punishment upon them. He told
Moses again to stretch out his hand
over the river; and a very, very
great number of frogs came up, and
covered all the land. The frogs
came into the houses, and beds, and
ovens; and wherever the Egyptians
went, they found them. Pharaoh
sent for Moses and Aaron, and said,
“Tntreat God to take way the frogs,
and I will. obey Him, and let Israel
go.” So Moses prayed, and God
heard his prayer, and made all the
frogs die. And did Pharaoh send
the Israelites away? No; when
the plague was gone, Pharaoh was
disobedient again, and he would not
attend to what Moses and Aaron
said. God was merciful to take
away the plague, and He would
have forgiven Pharaoh, if he had
prayed humbly ; but he did not, so

~~
NS

 

MORE PLAGUES.

God punished the wicked king
again. He told Moses to stretch
his rod over the dust, and it became
lice upon the people, and upon the
animals. The wicked magicians
tried to do the same; but they
could not, though they had imi-
tated the other miracles; they_had
no power, and they confessed this,
and said to Pharaoh, “This is the
finger of God;” but the king did
not attend to them.

The next morning, the Lord sent
Moses to say to Pharaoh, “ Let the
people go; for if thou wilt not, I
will send flies upon thee, and upon
all thy people; but I will send no
flies upon my people, the Israel-
ites.” ‘The flies came; and wasps,
and biting and stinging insects,
very many; but none came to hurt
the Israelites. The Egyptians had
a god, called the god of flies; but
he could not help them now. Then
Pharaoh begged again that God
would take away the flies, and
promised to let Israel go; and God
took them away; but still Pharaoh
would not obey.

 

XXXII.

More PLAGUES,

WAITHN God said to Moses,
co “Tell Pharaoh, if he will
| not let the people go, I
| will to-morrow send a
. grievous murrain upon all
his cattle: upon the horses, and
asses, and camels, and oxen, and
sheep.” And the Lord did so on
the morrow; and all the cattle of
the Egyptians died, but not one
that belonged to the Israelites; and

 
 
 

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened still.
Then Moses took ashes out of the
furnace, and threw them up towards
Heaven, at God’s command, and
they became dust, and brought sore
boils, upon men and beasts. The

wicked Egyptian magicians suffered

from the boils, and could not stand
before Pharaoh. But still the king
would not attend to God’s command.

The next-day, God sent very