1 After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness.'"
2 Pharaoh answered, "Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and what is more, I will not let Israel go."
3 They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we ask you, three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or with sword."
4 The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you drawing the people away from their tasks? Go back to your labor!"
5 And Pharaoh said, "See how many the people of the land now are, and you would have them stop their labor!"
6 That very day Pharaoh gave orders to the slave drivers over the people and to their foremen:
7 "Do not go on supplying the people with straw for making bricks as you have been doing. Let them go and collect straw for themselves.
8 But require of them the same number of bricks they were making before; do not lower it. They are lazy; that is why they are crying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9 Make the work heavier for the men, so that they are kept busy with it and pay no heed to lies."
10 The people's slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I am not giving you any straw.
11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be lessened in the least.'"
12 So the people spread out over the whole land of Egypt to collect stubble to use for straw.
13 The slave drivers kept pushing them: "Finish your work, the full amount for each day, just as when straw was supplied."
14 The foremen of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had put over them, were beaten, and they were asked, "Why did you not finish your required number of bricks yesterday and today, as you used to?"
15 So the foremen of the children of Israel went and cried out to Pharaoh, "Why do you treat your servants like this?
16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault lies with your own people."
17 He said, "Lazy, that is what you are, lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'
18 Now get to work. You will be given no straw, but you must still turn out the full number of bricks."
19 The foremen of the children of Israel saw that they were in a bad situation when they were told, "You must not lower your number of bricks for each day."
20 As they left Pharaoh's presence, they came upon Moses and Aaron, who were standing there waiting for them.
21 They said to them, "May the LORD look at you and judge! You have made us stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hands to kill us."
22 Moses turned back to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you sent me?
23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have done nothing at all to rescue your people."