And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
But Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
Then 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.”
But the king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, draw the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!”
And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them cease from their burdens.”
And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
“You are to no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
But the number of the bricks that they made before, you are to require from them; you are not to diminish any of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
Let heavier work be laid on the men and let them work at that, and not pay any attention to lying words.”
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.
Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for no part of your work will be diminished.’”
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!”
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?”
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
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.”
But he said, “You are idle! You are idle; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’
Go therefore now and work. For no straw will be given to you, yet you must deliver the same number of bricks!”
The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You are not to diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”
They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came out from Pharaoh;
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.”
Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, nor have you delivered your people at all.”