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5:1  Afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Adonai, God of Israel, says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast for Me in the wilderness.”
5:2  But Pharaoh said, “Who is Adonai, that I should listen to His voice and let Israel go? I do not know Adonai, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
5:3  They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so we may sacrifice to Adonai our God, or else He may strike us with pestilence or with the sword.”
5:4  But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, make the people break loose from their work? Go to your labors!”
5:5  Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now so numerous, yet you would have them rest from their labors?”
5:6  Then on the same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters of the people and their foremen saying,
5:7  “You are not to give the people any more straw to make bricks, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
5:8  But impose on them the quota of bricks that they made previously; don’t reduce it. For they are lazy—that’s why they cry out saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
5:9  Let even heavier work be laid upon the men, so that they must labor, paying no attention to deceptive words.”
5:10  Then the slave masters of the people went out, along with their officers, and they spoke to the people saying: “This is what Pharaoh says: I will not give you straw.
5:11  Go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, for there will be no reduction of your work.”
5:12  So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
5:13  But the slave masters pressured, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily amount, just as when there was straw.”
5:14  Moreover the foremen of Bnei-Yisrael, whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them, were beaten and asked, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks, both yesterday and today like before?”
5:15  The foremen of Bnei-Yisrael came and cried out to Pharaoh saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
5:16  No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and look, your servants are beaten. But it is your own people at fault.”
5:17  But he said, “Lazy! You’re lazy! That’s why you were saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to Adonai.’
5:18  So go now and work! No straw will be given to you—but you must deliver the quota of bricks.”
5:19  So the foremen of Bnei-Yisrael saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks from day to day.”
5:20  Then they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them as they came from Pharaoh.
5:21  So they said to them, “May Adonai look on you and judge, because you have made us a stench in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants—putting a sword in their hand to kill us!”
5:22  So Moses returned to Adonai and said, “Adonai, why have You brought evil on these people? Is this why You sent me?
5:23  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has brought evil on these people. You have not delivered Your people at all.”