Exodus 5

1 Then Aaron and Moses/I went to the king and [one of them/us] said, “Yahweh God, whom [we] Israeli people [worship], says this [to you]: ‘Let my people go to the desert, in order that they may have a feast to [honor] me!’”

And after this went in Moses and Aaron to Pharao, and they said to him, These things says the Lord God of Israel, Send my people away, that they may keep a feast to me in the wilderness.

2 But the king said, “Who is Yahweh? Why should I pay attention to what he says and let the Israeli [people] [MTY] go? I do not know Yahweh! And furthermore, I will not let the Israeli [people] go!”

And Pharao said, Who is he that I should listen to his voice, so that I should send away the children of Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.

3 They/we replied, “Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews [worship], has (revealed himself/appeared) to us [and told us what to tell you]. So we ask you to [please] let us go on a three day journey into the desert. We must offer sacrifices to Yahweh God [there]. [If we do] not do that, he will cause us to die [IDM] from diseases or from attacks [by our enemies] [MTY].”

And they say to him, The God of the Hebrews has called us to him: we will go therefore a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest at any time death or slaughter happen to us.

4 But the king of Egypt said to them/us, “Moses and Aaron, (stop trying to keep the Israeli people from working/why are you preventing the Israeli people from working?) [RHQ] [Tell those slaves] to return to work!”

And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, turn the people from their works? depart each of you to your works.

5 The king also said, “Listen [to me! You] people [who now live] in this land are now [more] numerous, and you want them [to stop working and] rest!”

And Pharao said, Behold now, the people is very numerous; let us not then give them rest from their work.

6 That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave bosses and the [Israeli] men supervising the slaves,

And Pharao gave orders to the taskmasters of the people and the accountants, saying,

7 “Do not continue to give the [Israeli] people straw for making bricks, as you have done previously. Make them go [into the fields] and gather straw for themselves.

You shall no longer give straw to the people for brick-making as yesterday and the third day; but let them go themselves, and collect straw for themselves.

8 But require them to make the same number of bricks that they did before. Do not decrease the number at all. They (are lazy/do not have enough work to do). That is the reason they are asking me to let them go [into the desert] to offer sacrifices to their god.

And you shall impose on them daily the rate of brick-making which they perform: you shall not abate anything, for they are idle; therefore have they cried, saying, Let us arise and do sacrifice to our God.

9 Force the men to work harder, so that they will not [have time] to listen to lies [from their leaders]!”

Let the works of these men be made grievous, and let them care for these things, and not care for vain words.

10 So the slave bosses and supervisors of the slaves went to where the [Israeli] people were and said to them, “The king has said that he will no longer give you any straw.

And the taskmasters and the accountants hastened them, and they spoke to the people, saying, thus says Pharao, I [will] give you straw no longer.

11 [So] you yourselves must go and get straw wherever you can find it. But you must still keep working to make the same number of bricks as before.” [LIT]

Go you, yourselves, get for yourselves straw whenever you can find it, for nothing is diminished from your rate.

12 So the Israeli people went all over Egypt to find straw.

So the people were dispersed in all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw.

13 The slave bosses kept telling them insistently, “Finish the work you are required to do each day, [making the same amount of bricks] as you did [before, when we gave you] straw!”

and the taskmasters hastened them, saying, Fulfil your regular daily tasks, even as when straw was given you.

14 [When they were not able to do that], the slave bosses had the [Israeli supervisors] beaten [with sticks], and they asked them, “Why have [all the men you are supervising] not been able to make [the same number] of bricks today/now as [they did] before [RHQ]?”

And the accountants of the race of the children of Israel, who were set over them by the masters of Pharao, were scourged, [[and questioned, ] men] saying, Why have you not fulfilled your rates of brick work as yesterday and the third day, today also?

15 Then the Israeli supervisors went to the king and complained, saying “[Your Majesty], why are you treating us this way?

And the accountants of the children of Israel went in and cried to Pharao, saying, Why do you act thus to your servants?

16 [Now] they are not giving us any straw [for making bricks], but they keep commanding us to make bricks. And now sometimes they beat us. But it is the fault of your own slave bosses [that we cannot make as many bricks as before]!”

Straw is not given to your servants, and they tell us to make brick; and behold your servants have been scourged: you will therefore injure your people.

17 But the king said, “You are lazy and do not [want to] work! That is why you keep saying, ‘Allow us to go [to the desert] and offer sacrifices to Yahweh.’

And he said to them, You are idle, you are idlers: therefore you say, Let us go [and] do sacrifice to our God.

18 So go and get back to work! [We] are not going to give you any straw, but you must keep making the same number of bricks!”

Now then go and work, for straw shall not be given to you, yet you shall return the rate of bricks.

19 The Israeli supervisors realized that they were in a difficult situation, because they had been told, “We are not going to decrease the number of bricks [you must make] each day.”

And the accountants of the children of Israel saw themselves in an evil plight, [men] saying, You shall not fail to deliver the daily rate of the brick-making.

20 As they left the king’s [palace], they met Aaron and Moses/me, who were waiting for them [there].

And they met Moses and Aaron coming forth to meet them, as they came forth from Pharao.

21 They said to Aaron and Moses/me, “Yahweh has seen [what] you two [have done] He will punish you [MTY], because you have caused the king and his officials to despise us! You have given them an excuse [MTY] to kill us!”

And they said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made our savor abominable before Pharao, and before his servants, to put a sword into his hands to kill us.

22 Moses/I left them and prayed to Yahweh again, saying, “O Yahweh, why have you caused all these evil things to happen to your people [RHQ]? And why did you send me [here] [RHQ]?

And Moses turned to the Lord, and said, I pray, Lord, why have you afflicted this people? and therefore have you sent me?

23 Ever since I went to the king and told him what you told me to say [MTY], he has treated your people very cruelly, and you have not done anything to help/rescue them!”

For from the time that I went to Pharao to speak in your name, he has afflicted this people, and you have not delivered your people.