22. But on that day I’ll set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live. No swarms of insects will come there so you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.
23. I’ll put a barrier between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow."
24. The Lord did this. Great swarms of insects came into the houses of Pharaoh and his officials and into the whole land of Egypt. The land was ruined by the insects.
25. Then Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, offer sacrifices to your God within the land."
26. Moses replied, "It wouldn’t be right to do that, because the sacrifices that we offer to the Lord our God will offend Egyptians. If we openly offer sacrifices that offend Egyptians, won’t they stone us to death?
27. We need to go for a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God as he has ordered us."
28. So Pharaoh said, "I’ll let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert, provided you don’t go too far away and you pray for me."