| 1 | And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. |
| 2 | And Pharaoh said, Who [is] the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. |
| 3 | And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. |
| 4 | And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. |
| 5 | And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now [are] many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. |
| 6 | And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, |
| 7 | Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. |
| 8 | And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish [ought] thereof: for they [be] idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go [and] sacrifice to our God. |
| 9 | Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. |
| 10 | And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. |
| 11 | Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. |
| 12 | So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. |
| 13 | And the taskmasters hasted [them], saying, Fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw. |
| 14 | And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, [and] demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? |
| 15 | Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? |
| 16 | There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants [are] beaten; but the fault [is] in thine own people. |
| 17 | But he said, Ye [are] idle, [ye are] idle: therefore ye say, Let us go [and] do sacrifice to the LORD. |
| 18 | Go therefore now, [and] work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. |
| 19 | And the officers of the children of Israel did see [that] they [were] in evil [case], after it was said, Ye shall not minish [ought] from your bricks of your daily task. |
| 20 | And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: |
| 21 | And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. |
| 22 | And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou [so] evil entreated this people? why [is] it [that] thou hast sent me? |
| 23 | For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. |
