¹ And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD 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 LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I 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 desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

⁴ And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do all of you, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

⁵ And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and all of you make them rest from their burdens.

⁶ And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

⁷ All of you shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as in time past: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

⁸ And the tale of the bricks, which they did make in time past, all of you shall lay upon them; all of you shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

⁹ Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain 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 all of you, get you straw where all of you can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

¹² So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

¹³ And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

¹⁴ And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have all of you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as in time past?

¹⁵ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore deal you thus with your servants?

¹⁶ There is no straw given unto your servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.

¹⁷ But he said, All of you are idle, all of you are idle: therefore all of you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

¹⁸ Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall all of you deliver the tale of bricks.

¹⁹ And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, All of you shall not diminish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

²⁰ And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

²¹ And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because all of you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in 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 have you so evil pleaded this people? why is it that you have sent me?

²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have you delivered your people at all.