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Israel's Labor Increased

¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "^(C1)Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, '^(C2)Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"² But Pharaoh said, "^(C1)Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, ^(C2)nor will I let Israel go."³ Then they said, "^(C1)The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go on a three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God, so that He does not discipline us with pestilence or with the sword."⁴ But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your ^(C1)burdens!"⁵ Pharaoh said, "Look, ^(C1)the people of the land are now many, and you would have them stop their work!"⁶ The very same day Pharaoh gave orders to ^(C1)the Egyptian taskmasters in charge of the people and their Hebrew ^(C2)foremen, saying,⁷ "You will no longer give the people ^(F1)straw to make brick as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.⁸ "But the number of bricks which they were making before, you shall still require of them; you are not to reduce it in the least. For they are ^(C1)idle and lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'⁹ "Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work hard at it so that they will pay no attention to their God's lying words."

^10 (C1)Then the Egyptian taskmasters in charge of the people and their Hebrew foremen went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you any straw.¹¹ 'Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work quota will not be reduced in the least.'"¹² So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.¹³ And the taskmasters pressured them, saying, "Finish your work, fulfill your daily quotas, just as when there was straw given to you."¹⁴ And ^(C1)the Hebrew foremen, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, ^(C2)were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your required quota of making bricks yesterday and today, as before?"

¹⁵ Then the Hebrew foremen came to Pharaoh and cried, "Why do you deal like this with your servants?¹⁶ "No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' And look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of your own people."¹⁷ But Pharaoh said, "You are ^(C1)lazy, very lazy and idle! That is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'¹⁸ "Get out now and get to work; for no straw will be given to you, yet you are to deliver the same quota of bricks."¹⁹ The Hebrew foremen saw that they were in a bad situation because they were told, "You must not reduce in the least your daily quota of bricks."²⁰ When they left Pharaoh's presence, the foremen met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.²¹ And the ^(C1)foremen said to them, "^(C2)May the LORD look upon you and judge you, because you have ^(C3)made us odious (something hated) in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and you have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

²² Then Moses turned again to the LORD and said, "^(C1)O Lord, why have You brought harm and oppression to this people? Why did You ever send me? I cannot understand Your purpose!²³ "Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed and oppressed this people, ^(C1)and You have done nothing at all to rescue Your people."