1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, �This is what
Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, �Let my people go, that they may hold a
feast to me in the wilderness.��
2 Pharaoh said, �Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let
Israel go? I don�t know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.�
3 They said, �The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go
three days� journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our God,
lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.�
4 The king of Egypt said to them, �Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take
the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!� 5 Pharaoh said,
�Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest
from their burdens.� 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of
the people, and their officers, saying, 7 �You shall no longer give
the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for
themselves. 8 The number of the bricks, which they made before, you
require from them. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are
idle; therefore they cry, saying, �Let us go and sacrifice to our God.�
9 Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor therein; and
don�t let them pay any attention to lying words.�
10 The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they
spoke to the people, saying, This is what Pharaoh says: �I will not give you
straw. 11 Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing
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 The
taskmasters were urgent saying, �Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there
was straw!� 14 The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh�s
taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, �Why haven�t
you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as
before?�
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh,
saying, �Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16 No straw is given
to your servants, and they tell us, �Make brick!� and, behold, your servants
are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.�
17 But he said, �You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you
say, �Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.� 18 Go therefore now, and work,
for no straw shall be given to you, yet shall you deliver the same
number of bricks!�
19 The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble,
when it was said, �You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota
of bricks!�
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from
Pharaoh: 21 and they said to them, �May Yahweh look at you, and judge,
because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh,
and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.�
22 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, �Lord, why have you brought trouble
on this people? Why is it that you have sent me? 23 For since I came to
Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither
have you delivered your people at all.�
World English Bible - Public Domain |
|
|