Exodus 5

¹ Afterward MosesMoses and AaronAaron camecame, and saidsaid to PharaohPharaoh, "This is what YahwehYahweh, the GodGod of IsraelIsrael, sayssays, 'Let my people gogo, that they may hold a feast to me in the wildernesswilderness.'"

² PharaohPharaoh saidsaid, "Who is YahwehYahweh, that I should listenlisten to his voicevoice to let IsraelIsrael gogo? I don't knowknow YahwehYahweh, and moreover I will not let IsraelIsrael gogo."

³ They saidsaid, "The GodGod of the HebrewsHebrews has metmet with usus. Please let usus gogo threethree daysdays' journey into the wildernesswilderness, and sacrifice to YahwehYahweh, our GodGod, lest he fall on usus with pestilencepestilence, or with the swordsword."

⁴ The king of EgyptEgypt saidsaid to them, "Why do you, MosesMoses and AaronAaron, take the people from their workwork? Get back to your burdens!"

⁵ PharaohPharaoh saidsaid, "Behold, the people of the landland are now manymany, and you make them rest from their burdens."

⁶ The same dayday PharaohPharaoh commandedcommanded the taskmasterstaskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

⁷ "You shall no longer givegive the people strawstraw to make brick, as before. Let them gogo and gather strawstraw for themselves.

⁸ The number of the bricks, which they made before, you require from them. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let usus gogo and sacrifice to our GodGod.'

⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor therein; and don't let them pay any attention to lying wordswords."

¹⁰ The taskmasterstaskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spokespoke to the people, saying, "This is what PharaohPharaoh sayssays: 'I will not givegive you strawstraw.

¹¹ GoGo yourselves, get strawstraw where you can findfind it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.'"

¹² So the people were scatteredscattered abroad throughout all the landland of EgyptEgypt to gather stubble for strawstubble for straw.

¹³ The taskmasterstaskmasters were urgent saying, "Fulfill your workwork quota dailydaily, as when there was strawstraw!"

¹⁴ The officers of the childrenchildren of IsraelIsrael, whom Pharaoh'sPharaoh's taskmasterstaskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why havenhaven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and todaytoday, in making brick as before?"

¹⁵ Then the officers of the childrenchildren of IsraelIsrael camecame and cried to PharaohPharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this wayway with your servantsservants?

¹⁶ No strawstraw is givengiven to your servantsservants, and they telltell usus, 'Make brick!' and behold, your servantsservants are beaten; but the fault is in your ownown people."

¹⁷ But he saidsaid, "You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you saysay, 'Let usus gogo and sacrifice to YahwehYahweh.'

¹⁸ GoGo therefore now, and work, for no strawstraw shall be givengiven to you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!"

¹⁹ The officers of the childrenchildren of IsraelIsrael sawsaw that they were in troubletrouble, when it was saidsaid, "You shall not diminish anything from your dailydaily quota of bricks!"

²⁰ They metmet MosesMoses and AaronAaron, who stood in the wayway, as they came forth from PharaohPharaoh:

²¹ and they saidsaid to them, "May YahwehYahweh looklook at you, and judgejudge, because you have made usus a stenchstench to be abhorred in the eyeseyes of PharaohPharaoh, and in the eyeseyes of his servantsservants, to putput a swordsword in their handhand to killkill usus."

²² MosesMoses returnedreturned to YahwehYahweh, and saidsaid, "LordLord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sentsent me?

²³ For since I camecame to PharaohPharaoh to speakspeak in your namename, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."