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!’”

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.’”

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!”

“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!”

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].”

“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.”

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!”

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

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!”

“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.”

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

So the people went all over Egypt collecting 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!”

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

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]?”

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?”

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

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

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]!”

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!”

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.’

“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.’

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 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!”

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.”

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

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

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

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 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!”

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]?

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?

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!”

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!”