Exodus 5
5
Moses and Aaron Before the King
1After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt. They said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’”
2But the king of Egypt said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. And I will not let Israel go.”
3Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has talked with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert. There we will offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war.”
4But the king said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your hard work! 5There are very many Hebrews. And now you want them to quit their hard work!”
6That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen. 7He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw. 8But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy. That is why they are asking me, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9Make these people work harder. Keep them busy. Then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses.”
10So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, “This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw. 11Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before.” 12So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw. 13The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, “You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14The king’s slave masters had chosen the Israelite foremen. They had made them responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past?”
15Then the Israelite foremen went to the king. They complained and said, “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way? 16You give us no straw. But we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us. But it is your own people’s fault.”
17The king answered, “You are lazy! You don’t want to work! That is why you ask to leave here and make sacrifices to the Lord. 18Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw. But you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”
19The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble. This was because the king had told them: “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.” 20As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were waiting for them. 21So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord punish you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”
Moses Complains to God
22Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here? 23I went to the king and said what you told me to say. But ever since that time he has made the people suffer. And you have done nothing to save them.”
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Exodus 5
5
Pharaoh Rejects Yahweh’s Authority and Makes Israel’s Troubles Worse
1And afterward, Moses and Aaron went, and they said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘Release my people so that they may hold a festival for me in the desert.’ ” 2And Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh that I should listen to his voice to release Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and also I will not release Israel.”
3And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword.” 4And the king of Egypt said, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take#Or “let loose,” “let run wild” (compare 32:25) the people from their work? Go to your forced labor!”#Literally “burdens” or “burdensome labor” 5And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you want to stop them from their forced labor.”#Literally “burdens” or “burdensome labor”
6And on that day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and his foremen, saying, 7“You must no longer give straw to the people to make the bricks like before.#Literally “yesterday three days ago” Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8But the quota of the bricks that they were making before#Literally “yesterday three days ago” you must require of them.#Literally “you will put on them” You must not reduce from it, because they are lazy. Therefore they are crying out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Let the work be heavier on the men so that they will do it and not pay attention to words of deception.”
10And the slave drivers of the people and their foremen went out, and they spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not giving you straw. 11You go, get straw for yourselves from whatever you find because not a thing is being reduced from your work.’ ” 12And the people spread out in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for the straw. 13And the slave drivers were insisting, saying, “Finish your work for each day#Literally “a thing of a day” on its day, as when there was straw.”#Literally “in the being of the straw” 14And the foremen of the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten by men who were saying, “Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?”#Literally “as yesterday three days ago also yesterday also the day”
The Foremen Complain to Pharaoh and Moses, and Moses Complains to Yahweh
15And the foremen of the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16Straw is not being given to your servants, but they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and, look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of#The expression is difficult. The word translated “fault” or “sin” has pointing for a second-person feminine singular subject (“you sinned”), which does not go well with either “Pharaoh” or “your people” as a subject; but the noun translated “sin of” has the same consonants, leading to the possibility that the word should be understood as a noun your people.” 17And he said, “You are lazy, lazy! Therefore you are saying, ‘Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 18And now go, work, but straw will not be given to you, and you must give the full quota of bricks.”
19And the foremen of the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” saw they were in trouble with the saying,#Literally “saying” “You will not reduce from your bricks for each day#Literally “a thing of a day” on its day.” 20And they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them when they were going out from Pharaoh. 21And they said to them, “May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants so as to put a sword into their hand to kill us.” 22And Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble to this people? Why ever did you send me? 23And from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble to this people, and you have certainly not delivered your people.”
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