Shared Word Translation
Exodus 5
Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.”
But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a journey of three days into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he strike us with plague or with the sword.”
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you draw the people away from their work? Go to your burdens!”
And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would make them rest from their burdens!”
That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying,
“You shall no longer give the people straw for making bricks, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
But you shall require from them the full quota of bricks that they made before; you shall not reduce it. For they are idle. That is why they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
Let the work be heavy upon the men, so that they labor at it and pay no attention to lying words.”
So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not giving you straw.
You yourselves go, get straw wherever you can find it, for not a thing will be reduced from your work.’”
So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Finish your work—each day’s task on its day—as when the straw was provided.”
The Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying, “Why have you not completed your prescribed quota of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?”
Then the Israelite foremen came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your servants this way?
No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And look, your servants are beaten, though your people are at fault.”
But he said, “You are idle, idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
Now go, work! Straw will not be given to you, but you shall deliver the required quota of bricks.”
The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not reduce the number of bricks—each day’s task on its day.”
As they came out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them.
They said to them, “May the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made our smell foul in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, putting a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have you brought harm upon this people? Why is this why you sent me?
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought harm upon this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”