5 And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. ² And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not 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 wilderness, and sacrifice unto Jehovah 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, loose the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. ⁵ And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. ⁶ And the same day Pharaoh commanded 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 number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. ⁹ Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying 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 yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it; for nought of your work shall be diminished. ¹² So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. ¹⁴ And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, ^[a]and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick 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 sacrifice to Jehovah. ¹⁸ Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks. ¹⁹ And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they ^[b]were in evil case, when it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, your daily tasks. ²⁰ And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: ²¹ and they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor 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 Jehovah, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.