1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “AEx 3:18Thus says the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel, ‘BEx 4:23; 6:11; 7:16Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 But Pharaoh said, “A2 Kin 18:35; 2 Chr 32:14; Job 21:15Who is the Loʀᴅ that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Loʀᴅ, and besides, BEx 3:19I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “AEx 3:18The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Loʀᴅ our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you 1Lit loosedraw the people away from their 2Lit workswork? Get back to your 3Lit burdensAEx 1:11; 2:11; 6:5-7labors!” 5 Again Pharaoh said, “Look, AEx 1:7, 9the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!” 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded AEx 1:11; 3:7; 5:10, 13, 14the taskmasters over the people and their BEx 5:10, 14, 15, 19foremen, saying, 7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8  “But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are AEx 5:17lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘1Lit saying, ‘LetLet us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9  “Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”

10 So AEx 1:11; 3:7; 5:6the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not going to give you any straw. 11  ‘You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.’ ” 12 So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your 1Lit workswork quota, 2Lit the matter of a day in its dayyour daily amount, just as when 3Lit there wasyou had straw.” 14 Moreover, AEx 5:6the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, BIs 10:24were beaten 1Lit sayingand were asked, “Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?”

15 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16  “There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are AEx 5:8lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Loʀᴅ.’ 18  “So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble 1Lit sayingbecause they were told, “You must not reduce 2Lit from your bricks the matter of a day in its dayyour daily amount of bricks.” 20 When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were 1Lit standing to meetwaiting for them. 21 AEx 14:11; 15:24; 16:2They said to them, “BGen 16:5; 31:53May the Loʀᴅ look upon you and judge you, for you have CGen 34:30; 1 Sam 13:4; 27:12; 2 Sam 10:6; 1 Chr 19:6made 1Lit our savor to stinkus odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

22 Then Moses returned to the Loʀᴅ and said, “ANum 11:11; Jer 4:10O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23  “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, AEx 3:8and You have not delivered Your people at all.”