Read the Bible

¹ And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.² And Pharaoh said, Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.

³ And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray you, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, or else he will fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.⁴ And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their works? you get to your burdens.⁵ And Pharaoh said, Look, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.⁶ And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,⁷ You shall no more give the people straw to make bricks, as before: let them go and gather straw for themselves.⁸ And the number of the bricks, which they made before, you shall lay on them; you shall not diminish anything thereof: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor at it; and don't let them regard lying words.

¹⁰ And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.¹¹ Go yourselves, you get straw where you can find it: for nothing of your work shall be diminished.¹² So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.¹³ And the taskmasters were urgent saying, Fulfill your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw.¹⁴ And the officers of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have you not fulfilled your task both yesterday and today, in making bricks as before?

¹⁵ Then the officers of the sons of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, Why do you deal thus with your slaves?¹⁶ There is no straw given to your slaves, and they say to us, Make bricks: and, look, your slaves are beaten; and your people will be guilty.¹⁷ But he said, You are idle, you are idle: therefore you say, Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.¹⁸ Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet you shall deliver the number of bricks.¹⁹ And the officers of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, You shall not diminish anything from your bricks, [your] daily tasks.²⁰ And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:²¹ and they said to them, Yahweh look at you, and judge: because you have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his slaves, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.²² And Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, Lord, why have you dealt ill with this people? why is it that you have sent me?²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has dealt ill with this people; neither have you delivered your people at all.