Exodus 5

¹Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”

²Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”

³They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.”

⁴The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!” ⁵Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.” ⁶The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸You shall require from them the number of the bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labour in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”

¹⁰The taskmasters of the people went out with their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.’ ” ¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfil your work quota daily, as when there was straw!” ¹⁴The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”

¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? ¹⁶No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”

¹⁷But Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ ¹⁸Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!”

¹⁹The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”

²⁰They met Moses and Aaron, who stood along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh. ²¹They said to them, “May the LORD look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”

²²Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me? ²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people. You have not rescued your people at all!”