Exodus 5
1 And afterwards, Moses and Aaron went in and said unto Pharaoh, —Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.
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 Then said Pharaoh, Who is Yahweh that I should hearken to his voice, to let Israel go? I know not Yahweh, and certainly. Israel, will I not let 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 journey of three days into the desert and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he fall upon 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 said unto them, Wherefore O Moses and Aaron should ye loose the people from their works? Get you 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 And Pharaoh said, Lo! many—now, are the people of the land, —and are ye to make them rest 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 So then Pharaoh gave command on that day, unto the taskmasters over the people and unto their overseers—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 straw unto the people, for making the bricks as heretofore: Let them, go, themselves, so shall they gather for 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 Nevertheless, the fixed number of bricks, which they have been making heretofore, shall ye lay upon them, ye shall not diminish therefrom, —for idle, they are, on this account, it is that they are making an outcry, saying, We must go our way, we must 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 The service must be made heavy on the men that they may labour on it, —and let them not pay regard to words of falsehood.
Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words.
10 Then went forth the taskmasters of the people and their overseers, and spake unto the people, —saying, —Thus, saith Pharaoh, I am not going to 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 Ye yourselves go fetch you straw, of any ye can find, —yet hath there not been diminished from your service a single thing.
Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.
12 So the people dispersed themselves throughout 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 the taskmasters, meanwhile, being urgent saying, —Complete your works, The task of a day, in its day, as when the straw was provided.
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 Then were beaten the overseers of the sons of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had set over them saying: Wherefore have ye not completed your task for making bricks, as heretofore, so also, yesterday and, to-day?
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 Then came in the overseers of the sons of Israel, and made outcry unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore shouldst thou do thus to 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 No straw, is given to thy servants, yet bricks, —they keep saying to us—make ye! And lo, thy servants, are beaten—thou dost, therefore, wrong thy people.
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, ye are—idle, on this account, are, ye, saying, We must take our journey, we must sacrifice to Yahweh.
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 Now, therefore, go labour, but, straw, shall not be given you, —yet the tale of bricks, shall ye render.
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 Then did the overseers of the sons of Israel see themselves to be in an evil case, when it was said, —Ye shall not diminish from your bricks—the task 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 So they fell upon Moses and upon Aaron, stationing themselves to meet them, —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, Yahweh look upon you and judge, —in that ye have made us odious in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, putting 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 returned unto Yahweh and said, —O My Lord wherefore hast thou caused harm to this people? Wherefore now didst thou send 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 seeing that from what time I came in unto Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done harm to this people, and thou hast not 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.
