Exodus 5

1Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.”

2Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”

3And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a journey of three days into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with the sword.”

4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, are you causing the people to neglect their work? Go to your burdens.”

5Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you are making them rest from their burdens.”

6So Pharaoh commanded on that day the taskmasters of the people and his officers, saying,

7You shall no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8And the quota of bricks that they were making yesterday and the day before, you shall impose on them; you shall not reduce any of it, because they are idle. Therefore they are crying out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

9Let the work be heavy on the men, so that they may labor at it and not pay attention to lying words.

10So the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh: I am not giving you straw.”

11You yourselves, go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, for nothing of your work will be reduced.

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

13And the taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Finish your work, each day’s matter in its day, just as when there was straw.”

14And the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying, “Why have you not finished your quota of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?”

15Then the officers of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you do this to your servants?”

16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.

17But he said, “You are idle, idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’”

18So now, go, work; but straw will not be given to you, yet you must deliver the required number of bricks.

19Then the officers of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You must not reduce the number of your bricks, the daily quota each day.”

20They met Moses and Aaron, who were standing to meet them when they came out from Pharaoh.

21And they said to them, “May Yahweh look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, putting a sword in their hand to kill us.”

22Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you brought harm on this people? Why then did you send me?”

23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have certainly not delivered your people.