20. This the Lord did. Thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants; throughout Egypt the land was devastated on account of the swarms of flies.
21. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go sacrifice to your God within the land.”
22. But Moses replied, “It is not right to do so, for what we sacrifice to the Lord, our God, is abhorrent to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is abhorrent to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us?
23. We must go a three days’ journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as he commands us.”