Exodus 5Book 2 of 66 · 23 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending

  1. Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a festival to Me in the wilderness.'"
  2. And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go."
  3. So 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 the LORD 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 draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor."
  5. And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!"
  6. So that same day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and their foremen, saying,
  7. You shall no longer supply the people straw to make bricks as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
  8. And you shall impose on them the same quota of bricks which they made before, you shall not reduce it, for they are lazy; therefore they cry out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
  9. Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor at it and pay no attention to these lies.
  10. So 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.
  11. Go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, yet none of your work will be reduced.
  12. So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use instead of straw.
  13. And the taskmasters pressed them to hurry, saying, "Complete your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw."
  14. Also the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your quota in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?"
  15. Then the foremen of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why are you treating your servants this way?"
  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 the fault is in your own people.
  17. But he said, "You are lazy! Lazy! That is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'"
  18. Therefore go now and get back to work; for no straw will be given you, yet you must still deliver the full quota of bricks.
  19. The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in serious trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota."
  20. Then, as they came out from Pharaoh's presence, they met Moses and Aaron who were waiting there to meet them.
  21. And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us odious in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, putting a sword in their hand to kill us."
  22. So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people, and why did You ever send me?"
  23. For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.