Exodus 5

And after this Moyses and Aaron went in to Pharao and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Send my people away, that they may keep a feast to me in the wilderness.”

And Pharao said, “Who is he, that I should listen to his voice so as to send the sons of Israel away? I do not know the Lord, and I am not sending Israel away.”

And they say to him, “The God of the Hebrews has summoned us. Let us therefore go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to our God, lest death or slaughter befall us.”

And the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moyses and Aaron, do you turn my people away from their works? Go off, each of you, to his own work.”

And Pharao said, “Behold, now the people are very numerous; let us not, then, give them rest from the works.”

So Pharao ordered the taskmasters of the people and the scribes, saying:

“You shall no longer go on giving straw to the people for brickmaking, as yesterday and the day before; let them go themselves and gather straw for themselves.

And the quota of brickmaking which they make each day, you shall impose upon them; you shall take away nothing. For they are idle; that is why they have cried out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

Let the works of these men be made heavy, and let them be concerned with these things and not be concerned with empty words.”

So the taskmasters and the scribes pressed them and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharao: I no longer give you straw.

You yourselves go and gather straw for yourselves wherever you may find it; for nothing is taken away from your quota.”

And the people were scattered throughout all Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete the works that are due each day, just as when the straw was being given to you.”

And the scribes of the race of the sons of Israel, who had been appointed over them by Pharao’s overseers, were flogged, and it was said, “Why have you not completed your quotas of brickmaking, as yesterday and the day before, and today as well?”

So the scribes of the sons of Israel went in and cried out to Pharao, saying, “Why do you do this to your servants?

Straw is not given to your servants, and they tell us to make bricks; and behold, your servants have been flogged. You will therefore be wronging your own people.”

And he said to them, “You are idle, you are idlers; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

Now then, go and work; for straw shall not be given to you, and you shall deliver the quota of brickmaking.”

And the scribes of the sons of Israel saw themselves in trouble, when it was said, “You shall not leave off any of the daily quota of brickmaking.”

And they met Moyses and Aaron, who were coming to meet them as they were coming out from Pharao.

And they said to them, “May God look upon you and judge, because you have made our smell loathsome before Pharao and before his attendants, putting a sword into his hand to kill us.”

Then Moyses turned back to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you afflicted this people? And why have you sent me?

And from the time I went to Pharao to speak in your name, he has afflicted this people, and you have not rescued your people.”