| Chapter 5 |
| 1 | And afterward Moses and Aaron
went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go,
that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. |
| 2 | And Pharaoh
said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know
not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. |
|
3 | And they said, The God of
the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into
the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with
pestilence, or with the sword. |
|
4 | And the king of Egypt said unto them,
Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto
your burdens. |
|
5 | And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now
are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. |
| 6 | And Pharaoh
commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers,
saying, |
| 7 |
Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as
heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. |
| 8 | And the
tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye
shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying,
Let us go and sacrifice to our God. |
| 9 | Let there more work be laid
upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain
words. |
| 10
| And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their
officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not
give you straw. |
|
11 | Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not
ought of your work shall be diminished. |
|
12 | So the people were
scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of
straw. |
| 13
| And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your
works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. |
| 14 | And the
officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over
them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in
making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? |
| 15 | Then the
officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying,
Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? |
| 16 | There is no
straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy
servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. |
| 17 | But he
said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to
the LORD. |
| 18
| Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be
given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. |
| 19 | And the
officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after
it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily
task. |
| 20 |
And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they
came forth from Pharaoh: |
|
21 | And they said unto them, The LORD look
upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes
of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to
slay us. |
| 22
| And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD,
wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast
sent me? |
| 23
| For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath
done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. |
