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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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 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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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?

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

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 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.

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 But he said, Idle are ye, idle; therefore say ye, 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 And now go, work, and straw shall not be given you; yet the required number of bricks shall ye deliver.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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 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?

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

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.