Pharaoh’s First Refusal 1 UDB Then Moses and Aaron went to the king. They said to him, "Yahweh God, whom we Israelite people worship, says this to you: 'Let my people go to the desert in order that they may have a festival to honor me!'" BSB BSB: After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
2 UDB But the king said, "Yahweh is no one important. I do not need to pay attention to what he says, or let the Israelite people go. I do not know this Yahweh! Furthermore, I will not let the Israelite people go!" BSB BSB: But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
3 UDB Moses and Aaron replied, "Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews worship, has revealed himself to us and told us what to tell you. So we ask you to let us go for three days into the wilderness. We must offer sacrifices to Yahweh God there. If we do not do that, he will cause us to die from diseases or from attacks by our enemies." BSB BSB: “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 UDB But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you preventing the Israelite people from working? Tell those slaves to return to work!" BSB BSB: But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
5 UDB The king also said, "Listen to me! You people who now live in this land are more numerous than we Egyptians. Why are you stopping them from working?" BSB BSB: Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”
Bricks and Straw 6 UDB That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave bosses and the Israelite assistants who directed the slaves, BSB BSB: That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen:
8 UDB However, still force them to make the same number of bricks that they did before. Do not lower the number at all. They do not want to work. That is the reason they are asking me to let them go into the wilderness to worship their god. BSB BSB: But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9 UDB Make the men work harder so that they will not have time to listen to lies from their leaders!" BSB BSB: Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
10 UDB So the slave bosses and Israelite assistants went to where the Israelite people were and said to them, "The king has said that he will no longer give you any straw. BSB BSB: So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am no longer giving you straw.
11 UDB So you must go and get straw where you can find it. But you must keep working to make the same number of bricks." BSB BSB: Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’”
12 UDB So the Israelite people went all over Egypt to find straw. BSB BSB: So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 UDB The slave bosses kept telling them, "Do all the work you are assigned each day. Make the same number of bricks as you did before when we gave you straw!" BSB BSB: The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”
14 UDB When they were not able to make enough bricks, the slave bosses working for the king beat the Israelite assistants with sticks. They asked them, "Why have all the men you are in charge of not been able to make the same number of bricks today as they did before?" BSB BSB: Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”
The Cry of the Israelites 15 UDB Then the Israelite assistants went to the king and cried out, "Your Majesty, why are you treating your servants in this way? BSB BSB: So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
16 UDB Now they are not giving your servants any straw for making bricks, but they keep telling us to make more bricks. And they beat your servants. But it is because of your own slave bosses that we cannot make as many bricks as before!" BSB BSB: No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 UDB But the king said, "You are lazy and do not want to work! That is why you keep saying, 'Allow us to go to the desert to worship Yahweh.' BSB BSB: “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
18 UDB So get back to work! We are not going to give you any straw, but you must keep making the same number of bricks!" BSB BSB: Now get to work. You will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”
19 UDB The Israelite assistants knew that they were having a bad time because they had been told, "We are not going to lower the number of bricks you must make each day." BSB BSB: The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”
20 UDB As they left the king's palace, they met Aaron and Moses, who were waiting for them there. BSB BSB: When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
21 UDB They said to Aaron and Moses, "May Yahweh see what you two have done! May he punish you because you have caused the king and his officials to hate us! You have given them a reason to kill us!" BSB BSB: “May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
22 UDB Moses left them and prayed to Yahweh again, saying, "O Yahweh, why have you caused all these evil things to happen to your people? And why did you send me here? BSB BSB: So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?
23 UDB Ever since I went to the king and told him what you told me to say, he has treated your people very badly, and you have not done anything to help them!" BSB BSB: Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”