Exodus 5:1-9 ▼

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”

3 Then they said, “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 burdens!”

5 Pharaoh said, “Look, 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 the [Egyptian] taskmasters in charge of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen, saying,

7 “You will no longer give the people 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 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.”