Exodus 5

1 After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

And after that, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, Let my people go so that they may keep a feast to me in the waste land.

2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”

And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, to whose voice I am to give ear and let Israel go? I have no knowledge of the Lord and I will not let Israel go.

3 “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”

And they said, The God of the Hebrews has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God, so that he may not send death on us by disease or the sword.

4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”

And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? get back to your work.

5 Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”

And Pharaoh said, Truly, the people of the land are increasing in number, and you are keeping them back from their work.

6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen:

The same day Pharaoh gave orders to the overseers and those who were responsible for the work, saying,

7 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.

Give these men no more dry stems for their brick-making as you have been doing; let them go and get the material for themselves.

8 But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

But see that they make the same number of bricks as before, and no less: for they have no love for work; and so they are crying out and saying, Let us go and make an offering to our God.

9 Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”

Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words.

10 So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am no longer giving you straw.

And the overseers of the people and their responsible men went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will give you no more dry stems.

11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’”

Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.

12 So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.

13 The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”

And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.

14 Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”

And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?

15 So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?

Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?

16 No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.

17 “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’

But he said, You have no love for work: that is why you say, Let us go and make an offering to the Lord.

18 Now get to work. You will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”

Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.

19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”

Then the responsible men of the children of Israel saw that they were purposing evil when they said, The number of bricks which you have to make every day will be no less than before.

20 When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.

And they came face to face with Moses and Aaron, who were in their way when they came out from Pharaoh:

21 “May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”

And they said to them, May the Lord take note of you and be your judge; for you have given Pharaoh and his servants a bad opinion of us, putting a sword in their hands for our destruction.

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?

And Moses went back to the Lord and said, Lord, why have you done evil to this people? why have you sent me?

23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”

For from the time when I came to Pharaoh to put your words before him, he has done evil to this people, and you have given them no help.