¹ Ja seejärel Mooses ja Aaron tulid ning ütlesid vaaraole: 'Nõnda ütleb Issand, Iisraeli Jumal: Lase mu rahvas minna, et nad kõrbes peaksid mulle püha!'

² Aga vaarao vastas: 'Kes on Issand, et peaksin kuulama ta sõna ja laskma Iisraeli ära minna? Mina ei tunne Issandat ega lase ka Iisraeli ära minna!'

³ Siis nad ütlesid: 'Heebrealaste Jumal tuli meile vastu. Lase meid minna kolme päeva tee kõrbesse ja ohverdada Issandale, meie Jumalale, et tema meid ei tabaks katku või mõõgaga!'

⁴ Aga Egiptuse kuningas vastas neile: 'Mooses ja Aaron, mispärast tahate rahva tööst vabastada? Minge oma töökohustuste juurde!'

⁵ Vaarao mõtles: 'Vaata, arvukas on nüüd maa rahvas, ja teie tahate nad töökohustusest vabastada!'

⁶ Ja vaarao käskis selsamal päeval rahva sundijaid ja ülevaatajaid, öeldes:

⁷ 'Ärge koguge ega andke enam rahvale õlgi telliskivide tegemiseks nagu varem. Nad mingu ja korjaku ise endile õlgi!

⁸ Ja telliskivide määr, mis nad tänini on teinud, pange neile peale, ärge seda vähendage, sest nad on laisad! Sellepärast nad kisendavad ja ütlevad: Me tahame minna oma Jumalale ohverdama!

⁹ Saagu orjus meestele raskemaks, et neil oleks sellega tegemist ega kuulataks valekõnesid!'

¹⁰ Ja rahva sundijad ja ülevaatajad läksid välja ning rääkisid rahvaga, öeldes: 'Nõnda ütleb vaarao: Mina ei anna teile enam õlgi.

¹¹ Minge ise, võtke endile õlgi, kust aga leiate, ent teie orjusest ei vähendata midagi!'

¹² Siis rahvas hajus üle kogu Egiptusemaa korjama kõrsi õlgede asemel.

¹³ Ja sundijad kihutasid tagant, öeldes: 'Tehke oma töö valmis, oma igapäevane jagu nagu siis, kui oli õlgi!'

¹⁴ Ja Iisraeli laste ülevaatajaid, kes vaarao sundijate poolt olid pandud nende üle, peksti, öeldes: 'Mispärast te ei ole täitnud telliskivide määra endiselt, ei eile ega täna?'

¹⁵ Siis Iisraeli laste ülevaatajad tulid ja kisendasid vaarao poole, öeldes: 'Mispärast sa teed oma sulastega nõnda?

¹⁶ Õlgi su sulastele ei anta, aga siiski öeldakse meile: Tehke telliskive! Vaata, su sulaseid pekstakse ja su rahvas teeb pattu!'

¹⁷ Aga tema vastas: 'Laisad olete! Te olete laisad, seepärast te ütlete: Me tahame minna Issandale ohverdama!

¹⁸ Nüüd minge tööle! Õlgi teile ei anta, aga määratud hulga telliskive te peate andma!'

¹⁹ Siis Iisraeli laste ülevaatajad nägid endid olevat täbaras olukorras, kui neile öeldi: 'Te ei tohi ühelgi päeval vähendada oma telliskivide päevaosa!'

²⁰ Ja kui nad vaarao juurest tulid, siis nad kohtasid Moosest ja Aaronit, kes olid neid oodanud,

²¹ ja ütlesid neile: 'Issand karistagu teid ja mõistku kohut, sest te olete meid viinud halba kuulsusesse vaarao ja tema sulaste silmis ja neile mõõga meie tapmiseks kätte andnud!'

²² Siis Mooses pöördus jälle Issanda poole ning ütles: 'Issand, mispärast sa oled sellele rahvale kurja teinud? Milleks sa siis mind oled läkitanud?

²³ Alates sellest, kui ma tulin vaarao juurde sinu nimel rääkima, on ta sellele rahvale kurja teinud ja sina ei ole oma rahvast tõesti mitte päästnud!'

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

² Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go."

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

⁴ The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"

⁵ Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens."

⁶ The 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.

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 us go and sacrifice to our God.'

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

¹⁰ The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you straw.

¹¹ Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.'"

¹² So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

¹³ The taskmasters were urgent saying, "Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!"

¹⁴ The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"

¹⁵ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?

¹⁶ No 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."

¹⁷ But he said, "You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.'

¹⁸ Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given to you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!"

¹⁹ The 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!"

²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

²¹ and they said to them, "May Yahweh 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."

²² Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? why is it that you have sent me?

²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."