Home Master Index
←Prev   Exodus 5 as rendered by/in  Next→ 


5:1  Afterwards Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.”’
5:2  Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.’
5:3  Then they said, ‘The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.’
5:4  But the king of Egypt said, ‘Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labour? Get back to your work!’
5:5  Then Pharaoh said, ‘Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.’
5:6  That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:
5:7  ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
5:8  But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, “Let us go and sacrifice to our God.”
5:9  Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.’
5:10  Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, ‘This is what Pharaoh says: “I will not give you any more straw.
5:11  Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.”’
5:12  So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
5:13  The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, ‘Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.’
5:14  And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, ‘Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?’
5:15  Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: ‘Why have you treated your servants this way?
5:16  Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, “Make bricks!” Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.’
5:17  Pharaoh said, ‘Lazy, that’s what you are – lazy! That is why you keep saying, “Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.”
5:18  Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.’
5:19  The Israelite overseers realised they were in trouble when they were told, ‘You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.’
5:20  When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,
5:21  and they said, ‘May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.’
5:22  Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?
5:23  Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.’