Exodus 5

1Afterward Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says Yahweh, God of Israel: Send my people away, that they may celebrate a feast for me in the wilderness."

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

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

4The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, release the people from their works? Go to your burdens!"

5Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you cause them to rest from their burdens."

6That day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,

7You shall no longer supply the people with straw to make the bricks, as before. Let them go gather straw for themselves.

8Assign them the same quota of bricks they made before; do not reduce any of it, for they are idle, and that is why they cry out, saying, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God."

9Let the labor be heavier upon the men, and let them work in it; let them not pay attention to words of falsehood.

10The taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh: I am not giving you straw."

11You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, for nothing will be diminished from your work.

12The people scattered across all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

13The taskmasters pressed them, saying, "Accomplish your works, the daily task, as when there was straw."

14Pharaoh's taskmasters struck the overseers of Israel's sons whom they had set over them, saying, "Why have you not completed your brick quota as before, even yesterday and even today?"

15The officers of Israel's sons came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you treat your servants like this?"

16No straw is given to your servants for bricks, and they say to us, "Make bricks!"—yet behold, your servants are beaten, and you sin against your people.

17He said, "You're idle, you're idle! That's why you say, 'Let us go sacrifice to Yahweh.'"

18Now go and work; no straw will be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.

19The Israelite foremen saw that they were in adversity when it was said, "Do not diminish the daily task from your bricks."

20They met Moses and Aaron, who stood ready to meet them as they came out from Pharaoh.

21They said to them, "May Yahweh see you and judge, because you have made our smell stink in Pharaoh's eyes and his servants' eyes, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

22Moses returned to Yahweh and said, "My Lord, why have you afflicted this people? Why have you sent me like this?"

23Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has harmed this people, yet you have not at all rescued your people.