Pharaoh’s First Refusal 1 WBS 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 to me in the wilderness. 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 WBS 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. 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 WBS 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 to the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 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 WBS And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their works; go you to your burdens. 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 WBS And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 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 WBS And Pharaoh commanded the same day the task-masters of the people, and their officers, saying, BSB BSB: That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen:
8 WBS And the number of the bricks which they made heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle: therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our 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 WBS Let more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein: and let them not regard vain words. BSB BSB: Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
10 WBS And the task-masters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you 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 WBS Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished. BSB BSB: Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’”
12 WBS So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble instead of straw. BSB BSB: So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 WBS And the task-masters hastened them , saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. BSB BSB: The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”
14 WBS And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's task-masters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore? 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 WBS Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, Why dealest thou thus with thy servants? BSB BSB: So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
16 WBS There is no straw given to thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thy own people. 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 WBS But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go, and do sacrifice to the LORD. BSB BSB: “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
18 WBS Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the 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 WBS And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil case , after it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks of your daily task. BSB BSB: The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”
20 WBS And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: BSB BSB: When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
21 WBS And they said to them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hands to slay 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 WBS And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, Lord, why hast thou so ill treated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 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 WBS 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. 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.”