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5
1 And after that Moses and Aaron went in, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus hath said the Everlasting One, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Everlasting, whose voice I am to obey, to let Israel go? I know not the Everlasting, nor will I let Israel go. 3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, a three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with the pestilence, or with the sword. 4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the people from their works? get you unto your own affairs. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye disturb them in the pursuit of their labors. 6 And Pharaoh commanded on the same day the taskmasters of the people, and its officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make the bricks, as yesterday and the day before; they themselves shall go and gather themselves straw. 8 And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall impose upon them, ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle: therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let the work be made to lie heavily upon the men, that they may have enough to do therein; and that they may not pay attention to false words. 10 And the taskmasters of the people and its officers went out, and they said to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you any straw. 11 Go ye, get yourselves straw from wherever ye can find it; yet not the least shall be taken off from your work. 12 And the people scattered themselves abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Fulfill your works, every day its due portion, just as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had set over them, were beaten, as these said, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and today? 15 And the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 Straw is not given unto thy servants, and, Make bricks, say they to us: and, behold, thy servants are beaten, and thy people are treated as sinners. 17 But he said, Idle are ye, idle; therefore say ye, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. 18 And now go, work, and straw shall not be given you; yet the required number of bricks shall ye deliver. 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw themselves in the evil necessity to say, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks, every day of its task. 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, standing in their way, as they came forth from Pharaoh. 21 And they said unto them, May the Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou let so much evil come upon this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For, since I came unto Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done more evil to this people; but thou hast in nowise delivered thy people.

- Exodus
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