Exodus 5

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what Yahweh, God of Israel,says, "Let my people go, so that they can hold a feast in my honour in the desert." '	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 'Who is Yahweh,' Pharaoh replied, 'for me to obey what he says and let Israel go? I know nothing ofYahweh, and I wil not let Israel go.'	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 'The God of the Hebrews has encountered us,' they replied. 'Give us leave to make a three -days'journey into the desert and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, or he wil strike us with a plague or with the sword.'	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 The king of Egypt said to them, 'Moses and Aaron, what do you mean by distracting the people fromtheir work? Get back to your forced labour.'	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, 'Now that the people have grown to such numbers in the country, what do you meanby interrupting their forced labour?'	5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6 That very day, Pharaoh gave the order to the people's taskmasters and their scribes,	6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 'Do not go on providing the people with straw for brickmaking as before; let them go and gather strawfor themselves.	7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 But you wil exact the same quantity of bricks from them as before, not reducing it at al , since they arelazy, and that is why their cry is, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God."	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 Give these people more work to do, and see they do it instead of listening to lying speeches.'	9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
10 The people's taskmasters and scribes went out to speak to the people and said, 'Pharaoh says this, "Ishall not provide you with any more straw.	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 and collect straw for yourselves where you can find it. But your output is not to be any less." '	11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble for their straw.	12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13 The taskmasters harassed them. 'You must complete your daily quota,' they said, 'just as when thestraw was there.'	13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
14 And the Israelites' foremen whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had put in charge of them, were flogged andasked, 'Why have you not fulfil ed your quota of bricks made today as before?'	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 The Israelites' foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh. 'Why do you treat your servants like this?' theysaid.	15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16 'No straw is provided for your servants, yet stil the cry is, "Make bricks!" And now your servants arebeing flogged!. . .'	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 'You are lazy, lazy,' he retorted. 'That is why you say, "Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh."	17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
18 Get back to your work at once. You wil not be provided with straw; all the same, you wil deliver thequota of bricks.'	18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
19 The Israelites' foremen saw they were in a difficult position on being told, 'You wil not reduce yourdaily production 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 As they left Pharaoh's presence, they met Moses and Aaron who were standing in their way.	20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21 'May Yahweh look down at you and judge!' they said to them. 'You have brought us into bad odourwith Pharaoh and his officials; you have put a sword into their hand to kil us.'	21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour 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 Moses went back to Yahweh and said, 'Lord, why do you treat this people so harshly? Why did yousend me?	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 Ever since I came to Pharaoh and spoke to him in your name, he has il -treated this people, and youhave done nothing at al about rescuing your people.'	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.