THE SECOND BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
E X O D U S
Exodus 5 ©
Moses and Aaron declare unto Pharaoh what God had charged them to deliver unto him, vs. 1, etc. He withstands and chides them, 4. The Israelites’ burdens are increased, 5. They murmur against Moses and Aaron, 20. Moses complains of it to God, 22.
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 unto me in the wilderness.
And Pharaoh said, Whoa is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? Ib know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
And they said, Thec God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
And Pharaoh said, Behold, 1the people of the land now are many, and ye 2make them rest from their burdens.
And Pharaoh commanded the same day the 3taskmasters of the people, and their 4officers, saying,
Ye 5shall no more give the people straw 6to make brick, as heretofore:d let them go and gather straw for themselves.
And 7the talee of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard 8vain words.
¶And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet 9not ought of your work shall be diminished.
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and 10demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, 11as heretofore?
¶Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
There is no straw given unto thy servants, and 12they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is 13in thine own people.
But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
And the officers of the children of Israel did see 14that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily 15task.
¶And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
And they said unto them, 16The LORD look upon you, and 17judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes 18of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, 19to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
And Moses 20returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in 21thy name, he hath done evil to this people; 22neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.