¹ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσῆλθεν μωυσῆς καὶ ααρων πρὸς φαραω καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ισραηλ ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου ἵνα μοι ἑορτάσωσιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

² καὶ εἶπεν φαραω τίς ἐστιν οὗ εἰσακούσομαι τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ὥστε ἐξαποστεῖλαι τοὺς υἱοὺς ισραηλ οὐκ οἶδα τὸν κύριον καὶ τὸν ισραηλ οὐκ ἐξαποστέλλω

³ καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς τῶν εβραίων προσκέκληται ἡμᾶς πορευσόμεθα οὖν ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ὅπως θύσωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν μήποτε συναντήσῃ ἡμῖν θάνατος ἢ φόνος

⁴ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς αἰγύπτου ἵνα τί μωυσῆ καὶ ααρων διαστρέφετε τὸν λαόν μου ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἀπέλθατε ἕκαστος ὑμῶν πρὸς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ

⁵ καὶ εἶπεν φαραω ἰδοὺ νῦν πολυπληθεῖ ὁ λαός μὴ οὖν καταπαύσωμεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων

⁶ συνέταξεν δὲ φαραω τοῖς ἐργοδιώκταις τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τοῖς γραμματεῦσιν λέγων

⁷ οὐκέτι προστεθήσεται διδόναι ἄχυρον τῷ λαῷ εἰς τὴν πλινθουργίαν καθάπερ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν αὐτοὶ πορευέσθωσαν καὶ συναγαγέτωσαν ἑαυτοῖς ἄχυρα

⁸ καὶ τὴν σύνταξιν τῆς πλινθείας ἧς αὐτοὶ ποιοῦσιν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπιβαλεῖς αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἀφελεῖς οὐδέν σχολάζουσιν γάρ διὰ τοῦτο κεκράγασιν λέγοντες πορευθῶμεν καὶ θύσωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν

⁹ βαρυνέσθω τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων καὶ μεριμνάτωσαν ταῦτα καὶ μὴ μεριμνάτωσαν ἐν λόγοις κενοῖς

¹⁰ κατέσπευδον δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐργοδιῶκται καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγοντες τάδε λέγει φαραω οὐκέτι δίδωμι ὑμῖν ἄχυρα

¹¹ αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς πορευόμενοι συλλέγετε ἑαυτοῖς ἄχυρα ὅθεν ἐὰν εὕρητε οὐ γὰρ ἀφαιρεῖται ἀπὸ τῆς συντάξεως ὑμῶν οὐθέν

¹² καὶ διεσπάρη ὁ λαὸς ἐν ὅλῃ αἰγύπτῳ συναγαγεῖν καλάμην εἰς ἄχυρα

¹³ οἱ δὲ ἐργοδιῶκται κατέσπευδον αὐτοὺς λέγοντες συντελεῖτε τὰ ἔργα τὰ καθήκοντα καθ' ἡμέραν καθάπερ καὶ ὅτε τὸ ἄχυρον ἐδίδοτο ὑμῖν

¹⁴ καὶ ἐμαστιγώθησαν οἱ γραμματεῖς τοῦ γένους τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ οἱ κατασταθέντες ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιστατῶν τοῦ φαραω λέγοντες διὰ τί οὐ συνετελέσατε τὰς συντάξεις ὑμῶν τῆς πλινθείας καθάπερ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ τῆς σήμερον

¹⁵ εἰσελθόντες δὲ οἱ γραμματεῖς τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ κατεβόησαν πρὸς φαραω λέγοντες ἵνα τί οὕτως ποιεῖς τοῖς σοῖς οἰκέταις

¹⁶ ἄχυρον οὐ δίδοται τοῖς οἰκέταις σου καὶ τὴν πλίνθον ἡμῖν λέγουσιν ποιεῖν καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ παῖδές σου μεμαστίγωνται ἀδικήσεις οὖν τὸν λαόν σου

¹⁷ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς σχολάζετε σχολασταί ἐστε διὰ τοῦτο λέγετε πορευθῶμεν θύσωμεν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν

¹⁸ νῦν οὖν πορευθέντες ἐργάζεσθε τὸ γὰρ ἄχυρον οὐ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ τὴν σύνταξιν τῆς πλινθείας ἀποδώσετε

¹⁹ ἑώρων δὲ οἱ γραμματεῖς τῶν υἱῶν ισραηλ ἑαυτοὺς ἐν κακοῖς λέγοντες οὐκ ἀπολείψετε τῆς πλινθείας τὸ καθῆκον τῇ ἡμέρᾳ

²⁰ συνήντησαν δὲ μωυσῇ καὶ ααρων ἐρχομένοις εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ φαραω

²¹ καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς ἴδοι ὁ θεὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ κρίναι ὅτι ἐβδελύξατε τὴν ὀσμὴν ἡμῶν ἐναντίον φαραω καὶ ἐναντίον τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ δοῦναι ῥομφαίαν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι ἡμᾶς

²² ἐπέστρεψεν δὲ μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον καὶ εἶπεν κύριε διὰ τί ἐκάκωσας τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἵνα τί ἀπέσταλκάς με

²³ καὶ ἀφ' οὗ πεπόρευμαι πρὸς φαραω λαλῆσαι ἐπὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι ἐκάκωσεν τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον καὶ οὐκ ἐρρύσω τὸν λαόν σου

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."