Exodus 5

1 And afterward Moses and Aaron have entered, and they say to Pharaoh, “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Send My people away, and they keep a celebration for 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 says, “Who [is] YHWH, that I listen to His voice to send Israel away? I have not known YHWH, and I also do not send Israel away.”

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 say, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us; please let us go a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to our God YHWH, lest He meet us with pestilence or with 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 says to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you free the people from its works? Go to your burdens.”

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 says, “Behold, the people of the land [are] numerous now, and you have caused them to cease from their burdens!”

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

6 And on that day Pharaoh commands the exactors among the people and its authorities, saying,

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

7 “You do not add to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks as before—they go and have gathered straw for themselves;

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 you put on them the proper quantity of the bricks which they are making before, you do not diminish from it, for they are remiss, therefore they are crying, saying, Let us go, let us 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 service be heavy on the men, and let them work at it, and not be dazzled by lying words.”

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

10 And the exactors of the people, and its authorities, go out, and speak to the people, saying, “Thus said Pharaoh: I do not give 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 you—go, take straw for yourselves where you can find [it], for there is nothing diminished of your service.”

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

12 And the people are scattered over all 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 and the exactors are making haste, saying, “Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is 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 authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, “Why have you not completed your portion in making brick as before, 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 authorities of the sons of Israel come in and cry to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you do thus to your 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 to your servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and behold, your servants are struck—and your people have sinned.”

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 And he says, “Remiss—you are remiss, therefore you are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to YHWH;

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, serve; and straw is not given to you, and you give the [required] measure 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 And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, “You do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.”

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 meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them in their coming out 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 say to them, “YHWH look on you, and judge, because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants—to give a sword into 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 turns back to YHWH and says, “Lord, why have You done evil to this people? Why [is] this [that] You have 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 And since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has done evil to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

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.