Exodus 5

CLV(i) 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron entered and said to Pharaoh: Thus says Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, Dismiss My people that they may celebrate to Me in the wilderness. 2 Yet Pharaoh said: Who is Yahweh to Whose voice I should hearken to dismiss Israel? I do not know Yahweh! And, moreover, Israel I shall not dismiss. 3 Then they said: The Elohim of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we pray, a way of three days into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our Elohim, lest He come upon us with the plague or with the sword. 4 Yet the king of Egypt said to them: Why, Moses and Aaron, are you causing the people to renounce their tasks? Go to your burdens!" 5 And Pharaoh said: Behold, they are now more numerous than the people of the land, and you cause them to cease from their burdens. 6 Hence Pharaoh instructed on that day the exactors among the people and their superintendents, saying. 7 You shall not continue to give crushed straw to the people to mold the bricks as heretofore. They shall go and rake together crushed straw for themselves. 8 You shall place on them the regular number of bricks which they were making heretofore. You shall not diminish from it, for they are slackers. Therefore they are crying, saying: Let us go; let us sacrifice to our Elohim. 9 The service shall be heavy on the men, and they shall make do with it and not heed false words. 10 So the exactors of the people and their superintendents went forth and spoke to the people, saying: Thus says Pharaoh: I am not giving crushed straw to you. 11 As for you, go, take for yourselves crushed straw from whatever you may find, because there shall be nothing subtracted from your service. 12 Hence the people scattered in all the land of Egypt to rake together straw for crushed straw. 13 And the exactors were rushing, saying: Finish your tasks, a day's tally in its day, just as when there was crushed straw given to you. 14 Then the superintendents of the sons of Israel were being smitten, whom Pharaoh's exactors had placed over them, saying: For what reason did you not finish your statutory number of bricks both yesterday and today as you did heretofore? 15 Then the superintendents of the sons of Israel entered and cried to Pharaoh, saying: Why are you doing thus to your servants? 16 Crushed straw is not being given to your servants. And of bricks, they are saying to us, Make them. And behold, your servants are being smitten, and your people are at fault. 17 Yet he said: You are slackers--slackers! Therefore you are saying, Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh. 18 Yet now go, serve! But crushed straw shall not be given to you, though the regular number of bricks shall you provide. 19 Hence the superintendents of the sons of Israel saw themselves in an evil plight, having to say: You shall not subtract from your bricks a day's tally in its day. 20 So they came upon Moses and Aaron, stationed to meet them when they came forth from Pharaoh. 21 They said to them: May Yahweh see you, and may He judge since you have caused our scent to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, giving a sword into their hands to kill us. 22 Moses returned to Yahweh and said: Yahweh, why have You done evil to this people? And why is this that You have sent me? 23 For since I entered to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people. Yet you have not rescued, yea rescued Your people.