Exodus 5

1 And after that Moses and Aaron went in, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus hath said the Everlasting One, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

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.’”

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Everlasting, whose voice I am to obey, to let Israel go? I know not the Everlasting, nor will I let Israel go.

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.”

3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, a three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with the pestilence, or with the sword.

“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.”

4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their works? get you unto your own affairs.

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!”

5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye disturb them in the pursuit of their labors.

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

6 And Pharaoh commanded on the same day the taskmasters of the people, and its officers, saying,

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

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make the bricks, as yesterday and the day before; they themselves shall go and gather themselves straw.

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

8 And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall impose upon them, ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle: therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

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.’

9 Let the work be made to lie heavily upon the men, that they may have enough to do therein; and that they may not pay attention to false words.

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

10 And the taskmasters of the people and its officers went out, and they said to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you any straw.

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.

11 Go ye, get yourselves straw from wherever ye can find it; yet not the least shall be taken off from your work.

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

12 And the people scattered themselves abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

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

13 And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Fulfill your works, every day its due portion, just as when there was straw.

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

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had set over them, were beaten, as these said, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and today?

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?”

15 And the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

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

16 Straw is not given unto thy servants, and, Make bricks, say they to us: and, behold, thy servants are beaten, and thy people are treated as sinners.

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.”

17 But he said, Idle are ye, idle; therefore say ye, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.

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

18 And now go, work, and straw shall not be given you; yet the required number of bricks shall ye deliver.

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

19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves in the evil necessity to say, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, every day of its task.

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

20 And they met Moses and Aaron, standing in their way, as they came forth from Pharaoh.

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

21 And they said unto them, May the Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

“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!”

22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou let so much evil come upon this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

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

23 For, since I came unto Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done more evil to this people; but thou hast in nowise delivered thy people.

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.”