Exodus 5

1 After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘Let my people go so they can hold a religious festival for me in the desert.’”

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.

2 “Who is this ‘Lord’ that I should listen to his request to let Israel go?” Pharaoh replied. “I don't know the Lord and I certainly won't let Israel leave!”

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.

3 “The God of the Hebrews came to us,” they added. “Please allow us to go a three days journey into the desert and offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. Otherwise he'll kill us by disease or by the sword.”

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.

4 “Moses and Aaron, why are you trying to take people away from their assigned labor?” Pharaoh asked. “Get back to work!” he ordered.

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.

5 “Look here,” he went on. “There are many of your people here in our country and you are preventing them from doing their assigned labor.”

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

6 That very day he ordered the slave drivers and those in charge of the people:

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

7 “Don't give them any more straw to make bricks like before. Have them go and collect the straw themselves.

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.

8 But still make them produce the same quantity of bricks as before. They're lazy people—that's why they're calling out, asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices to our god.

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.

9 Make their work harder so they can get on with it and not pay any attention to all these lies!”

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.

10 So the slave drivers and those in charge went out and told the people, “This is what Pharaoh has ordered: ‘I won't give you any more straw.

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.

11 Go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because your work quota won't be reduced.”

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

12 So the people went all over Egypt collecting stubble for straw.

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

13 The slave drivers kept on forcing them, saying, “You still have to do the same work as you did when you had straw provided!”

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

14 They beat the Israelite supervisors they had put in charge, shouting at them, “Why haven't you met your quota of bricks as you did before?”

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?

15 The Israelite supervisors went to Pharaoh to complain, saying, “Why are you treating us your servants like this?

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

16 You don't give us any straw but your slave drivers demand that we make bricks, and they beat us! Your people are treating us badly!”

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.

17 “No, you're just lazy, lazy people!” Pharaoh replied. “That's why you keep on asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’

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

18 Now get out of here and go back to work! You won't be given any straw but you'll still have to produce the full quota of bricks!”

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

19 The Israelite supervisors realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily production of bricks.”

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.

20 They went over to Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them after their meeting with Pharaoh,

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

21 and said, “May the Lord see what you have done and judge you accordingly! You have made us like a bad smell to Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword in their hands to kill us!”

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.

22 Moses went back to the Lord and complained, “Why have you caused all this trouble for your own people, Lord? Was this why you sent me?

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?

23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has been even harder on your people, and you haven't done anything to save them!”

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.