Exodus 5
5
Moses Confronts Pharaoh
1Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.” # 5:1 Ex 3:18; 10:9
2But Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? # 5:2 1Sm 25:10; Pr 30:9; Jr 9:6 I don’t know # 5:2 Or recognize the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” # 5:2 Ex 3:19; 2Kg 18:35; Jb 21:15
3They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword.”
4The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labor! ” 5Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are so numerous, and you would stop them from their labor.” # 5:3–5 Ex 1:7,9,11; 3:18
Further Oppression of Israel
6That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers # 5:6 Ex 1:1; 3:7 of the people as well as their foremen, 7“Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves. 8But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers — that is why they are crying out, # 5:8 Ex 2:23; 3:7; 5:15 ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.”
10So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: # 5:10 Ex 4:22; 5:1 ‘I am not giving you straw. 11Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’ ” 12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13The overseers insisted, “Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided.” 14Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten # 5:14 Is 10:24 and asked, “Why haven’t you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before? ”
15So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks! ’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault.”
17But he said, “You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks.”
19The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks.” 20When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
21“May the Lord take note of you and judge,” they said to them, “because you have made us reek to Pharaoh and his officials — putting a sword in their hand to kill us! ” # 5:21 Gn 34:30; Ex 6:9; 14:11
22So Moses went back to the Lord and asked, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? And why did you ever send me? # 5:22 Nm 11:11; Jr 4:10 23Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in your name he has caused trouble for this people, and you haven’t rescued your people at all.”
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Exodus 5
5
Moses and Aaron go to the king of Egypt
1Moses and Aaron went to the king#5.1 the king: See the note at 1.11. of Egypt and told him, “The LORD God says, ‘Let my people go into the desert, so they can honour me with a celebration there.’ ”
2“Who is this LORD and why should I obey him?” the king replied. “I refuse to let you and your people go!”
3They answered, “The LORD God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don't, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war.”
4-5The king said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!”
6That same day the king gave orders to his slave bosses and to the men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:
7Don't give the slaves any more straw#5.7 straw: The straw made the mud bricks stronger and kept them from shrinking, cracking, or losing their shape. to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can, 8but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God. 9Make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen to these lies.
10The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, “The king says he will not give you any more straw. 11Go and find your own straw wherever you can, but you must still make as many bricks as before.”
12The slaves went all over Egypt, looking for straw. 13But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, “Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, “Why didn't you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?”
15Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and said, “Why are you treating us like this? 16No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.”
17The king replied, “You are lazy—nothing but lazy! That's why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your LORD. 18Get back to work! You won't be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.”
19The men knew they were in deep trouble when they were ordered to make the same number of bricks each day. 20After they left the king, they went to see Moses and Aaron, who had been waiting for them. 21Then the men said, “We hope the LORD will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us.”
The LORD's promise to Moses
22Moses left them and prayed, “Our LORD, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here? 23Ever since you told me to speak to the king,#5.23 the king: See the note at 1.11. he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven't done a thing to help.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012