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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Exodus 5: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Exodus 5
5
1And afterwards have Moses and Aaron entered, and they say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Send My people away, and they keep a feast to Me in the wilderness;’
2and Pharaoh saith, ‘Who [is] Jehovah, that I hearken to His voice, to send Israel away? I have not known Jehovah, and Israel also I do not send away.’
3And they say, ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest He meet us with pestilence or with sword.’
4And the king of Egypt saith unto them, ‘Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.’
5Pharaoh also saith, ‘Lo, numerous now [is] the people of the land, and ye have caused them to cease from their burdens!’
6And Pharaoh commandeth, on that day, the exactors among the people and its authorities, saying,
7‘Ye do not add to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks, as heretofore — they go and have gathered straw for themselves;
8and the proper quantity of the bricks which they are making heretofore ye do put on them, ye do not diminish from it, for they are remiss, therefore they are crying, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God;
9let the service be heavy on the men, and let them work at it, and not be dazzled by lying words.’
10And the exactors of the people, and its authorities, go out, and speak unto the people, saying, ‘Thus said Pharaoh, I do not give you straw,
11ye — go ye, take for yourselves straw where ye find [it], for there is nothing of your service diminished.’
12And the people is scattered over all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw,
13and the exactors are making haste, saying, ‘Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.’
14And the authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, ‘Wherefore have ye not completed your portion in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and to-day?’
15And the authorities of the sons of Israel come in and cry unto Pharaoh, saying, ‘Why dost thou thus to thy servants?
16Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten — and thy people hath sinned.’
17And he saith, ‘Remiss — ye are remiss, therefore ye are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah;
18and now, go, serve; and straw is not given to you, and the measure of bricks ye do give.’
19And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, ‘Ye do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.’
20And they meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them, in their coming out from Pharaoh,
21and say unto them, ‘Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants — to give a sword into their hand to slay us.’
22And Moses turneth back unto Jehovah, and saith, ‘Lord, why hast Thou done evil to this people? why [is] this? — Thou hast sent me!
23and since I have come unto Pharaoh, to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, and Thou hast not at all delivered Thy people.’
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