Exodus 5

1 After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘Let my people go so they can hold a religious festival for me in the desert.’”

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 “Who is this ‘Lord’ that I should listen to his request to let Israel go?” Pharaoh replied. “I don't know the Lord and I certainly won't let Israel leave!”

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 “The God of the Hebrews came to us,” they added. “Please allow us to go a three days journey into the desert and offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. Otherwise he'll kill us by disease or by 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 “Moses and Aaron, why are you trying to take people away from their assigned labor?” Pharaoh asked. “Get back to work!” he ordered.

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 “Look here,” he went on. “There are many of your people here in our country and you are preventing them from doing their assigned labor.”

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

6 That very day he ordered the slave drivers and those in charge of the people:

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

7 “Don't give them any more straw to make bricks like before. Have them go and collect the straw themselves.

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

8 But still make them produce the same quantity of bricks as before. They're lazy people—that's why they're calling out, asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices 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 Make their work harder so they can get on with it and not pay any attention to all these lies!”

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

10 So the slave drivers and those in charge went out and told the people, “This is what Pharaoh has ordered: ‘I won't give you any more straw.

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 and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because your work quota won't be reduced.”

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

12 So the people went all over Egypt collecting stubble for straw.

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

13 The slave drivers kept on forcing them, saying, “You still have to do the same work as you did when you had straw provided!”

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

14 They beat the Israelite supervisors they had put in charge, shouting at them, “Why haven't you met your quota of bricks as you did 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 The Israelite supervisors went to Pharaoh to complain, saying, “Why are you treating us your servants like this?

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

16 You don't give us any straw but your slave drivers demand that we make bricks, and they beat us! Your people are treating us badly!”

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 “No, you're just lazy, lazy people!” Pharaoh replied. “That's why you keep on asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices 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 Now get out of here and go back to work! You won't be given any straw but you'll still have to produce the full quota of bricks!”

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

19 The Israelite supervisors realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily production of bricks.”

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 They went over to Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them after their meeting with Pharaoh,

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

21 and said, “May the Lord see what you have done and judge you accordingly! You have made us like a bad smell to Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword in their hands to kill us!”

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 Moses went back to the Lord and complained, “Why have you caused all this trouble for your own people, Lord? Was this why 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 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has been even harder on your people, and you haven't done anything to save them!”

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.