Exodus 5

1 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.

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.

2 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.

And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

3 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.

And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray you, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice to the LORD our God; lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.

4 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.

And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you to your burdens.

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

And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you make them rest from their burdens.

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

And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7 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.

You shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 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.

And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay on them; you shall not diminish any thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

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

Let there more work be laid on the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 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.

And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

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

Go you, get you straw where you can find it: yet not any of your work shall be diminished.

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

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

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

And the taskmasters hurried them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14 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?

And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

15 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?

Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, Why deal you thus with your servants?

16 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.

There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.

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

But he said, You are idle, you are idle: therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

18 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.

Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall you deliver the tale of bricks.

19 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.

And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, You shall not diminish any from your bricks of your daily task.

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

And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

21 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.

And they said to them, The LORD look on you, and judge; because you have made our smell to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

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

And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, LORD, why have you so evil entreated this people? why is it that you have sent me?

23 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.

For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have you delivered your people at all.