1Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
2But Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with pestilence or with the sword.”
4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people away from their work? Get to your burdens!”
5And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would make them rest from their burdens!”
6That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, saying,
7“You shall no longer give straw to the people to make bricks, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8But the quota of bricks that they made before, you shall impose on them; you shall not reduce it. For they are idle; that is why they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9Let the work be heavier on the men, and let them labor at it, and let them pay no attention to lying words.”
10So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.
11You yourselves go, take straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but nothing of your work will be reduced.’”
12So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work, the daily amount each day, just as when there was straw.”
14And the foremen of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and it was said, “Why have you not completed your quota of bricks yesterday and today, as before?”
15Then the foremen of the Israelites came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And look, your servants are 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.’
18Now go, work! No straw will be given to you, yet you shall deliver the full count of bricks.”
19And the foremen of the Israelites saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not reduce your daily amount of bricks, the daily quota each day.”
20They met Moses and Aaron, who were standing waiting to meet them as they came out from Pharaoh,
21and they said to them, “May Yahweh look upon you and judge, because you have made us reek in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, putting a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why did you ever send me?
23For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
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