Biting midge (actual size)

In previous blood-tide years, Mosh•ëhꞋ recalled, on a lesser scale than this massive blood-tide, so many dead frogs on land typically provided the culture medium spawning a widespread infestation of Kin•imꞋ and •rōvꞋ — which tormented everyone. So an even more-massive vexation of Kin•imꞋ, which typically preceded swarms of •rōvꞋ, seemed inevitable. Moreover, an epidemic of DëvꞋër. invariably struck the livestock a couple of months after the Kin•imꞋ.

Then י‑‑ה told Mosh•ëhꞋ,

“Tell A•ha•ronꞋ, ‘Stretch forth your illusion-scepter and strike the dust of the ground, that it may become Kin•imꞋ throughout all of ërꞋëtz Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim.’ ”

So they did. Soon, there were Kin•imꞋ everywhere, biting men and livestock. It seemed as if the dust had turned into Kin•imꞋ.

But the Egyptian glyphomancer scientists attempted to performed the same illusion using pyromancy. – but they couldn't do it. And Kin•imꞋ were everywhere.

Then the Egyptian glyphomancer scientists said to Par•ohꞋ, "This is the Finger of ël•oh•imꞋ." But that only goaded the arrogant-defiance Par•ohꞋ harbored in his heart. Yet again, he reneged and dismissed them — just as י‑‑ה had predicted.

Mak•âhꞋ #4: •rōvꞋ

Egyptian capital, Ankh-Tawi; ≈23^rd-30^th of 4^thmonth (4^th Week of Summer), Year Preceding ca. B.C.E.

Stable fly (a Glan­ders vec­tor)

When the sweltering heat began to cool-off, the swarms of Kin•imꞋ tapered-off. Mosh•ëhꞋ had seen a couple of •rōvꞋ and he knew, relative to previous years, that huge swarms of •rōvꞋ were only a couple of days away – and that there was always an epidemic of Shᵊkhin a couple of weeks or so after that. Mosh•ëhꞋ also noted that the unusually strong winds, being out of the NW, blew the swarms south – out of GōꞋshën, in the Delta, into Lower Egypt – away from the Ha•birꞋu and their livestock. So he prodded Par•ohꞋ for yet another negotiation.

Then י‑‑ה told Mosh•ëhꞋ,

“Get up at the pre-dawn donkey-loading time in the morning and position yourself on the bank of the Nile when Par•ohꞋ comes up out from his morning bathe in the Nile. Tell him, ‘Thus says י‑‑ה, «Send My am so that they may serve Me! If you don't, look, I'll send swarms of •rōvꞋ upon you, upon your servants and upon your am; in your houses; in the houses of Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim and they shall swarm on the ground. But on that day I will sequestrate GōꞋshën, in which My am lives, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am י‑‑ה in the midst of hâ-ârꞋëtz. I shall put a ransom between My am and your am. This sign shall take place by tomorrow!» ’ ”

Then י‑‑ה did so: heavy swarms of •rōvꞋ in the house of Par•ohꞋ, in his attendants' houses and throughout ërꞋëtz Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim the land was ravaged by •rōvꞋ.

Then Par•ohꞋ summoned Mosh•ëhꞋ and A•ha•ronꞋ, declaring, "Go! Sacrifice to your ël•oh•imꞋ – but remain in ërꞋëtz Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim!"

"It's not right to do that," Mosh•ëhꞋ replied. "We will be sacrificing to י‑‑ה our ël•oh•imꞋ animals that Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim regard as their ël•oh•imꞋ. So our sacrifices will be a to•eiv•âhꞋ to them. If we sacrifice their animal-ël•oh•imꞋ before their eyes will they not be enraged and stone us? No, we will trek 3 days into the mi•dᵊbârꞋ, and there sacrifice to י‑‑ה our ël•oh•imꞋ however He shall command us."

"Ok," Par•ohꞋ finally relented, "I will send you and you shall sacrifice to י‑‑ה your ël•oh•imꞋ in the mi•dᵊbârꞋ. But [a] you must not go very far away and [b] you must intercede for me to make these •rōvꞋ go away."

Now Mosh•ëhꞋ knew that the swarms of flies in Israel typically last only a couple of weeks or so. Watching them carefully, he had discerned that the swarms had peaked. So time was growing short that the swarms would quickly die-off and disappear. Mosh•ëhꞋ needed to keep his negotiations focused on a quick deadline or the flies would disappear before Mosh•ëhꞋ could take advantage of them. Mosh•ëhꞋ couldn't stop the die-off of flies that would be noticeable in a day or two. So he had to negotiate around a next-day deadline.

So Mosh•ëhꞋ agreed. "Look, as soon as I leave here I'll intercede with י‑‑ה for the swarms of •rōvꞋ to leave from Par•ohꞋ, from his workers and from his am – by tomorrow! But no more of your clowning-around reneging! Then Mosh•ëhꞋ left Par•ohꞋ and interceded with י‑‑ה that his timing, in predicting the end of the swarms of •rōvꞋ would be arguably accurate.

And י‑‑ה did according to the matter of Mosh•ëhꞋ. He eliminated the swarms of •rōvꞋ from Par•ohꞋ and from his am. Not one •rōvꞋ remained.

But, yet again, this only goaded the arrogant-defiance harbored in Par•ohꞋ's heart, who did not send forth the am.