Exo 5 | ABEn | STEP | And after these things [ 4 entered 1 Moses 2 and 3 Aaron] to Pharaoh, and they said to him, Thus says the lord God of Israel. Send forth my people! that they may solemnize a holiday to me in the wilderness.

Exodus 5

CHAPTER 5 Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh

1 And after these things [⁴entered ¹Moses ²and ³Aaron] to Pharaoh, and they said to him, Thus says the lord God of Israel. Send forth my people! that they may solemnize a holiday to me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is he, of whom I will listen to his voice so as to send out the sons of Israel? I do not know the lord, and [²Israel ¹I will not send out]. 3 And they say to him, The God of the Hebrews called on us. We will go then on a journey of three days into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the lord our God, lest at any time [⁴might meet with ⁵us ¹death ²or ³murder]. 4 And [⁴said ⁵to them ¹the ²king ³of Egypt], Why do you, Moses and Aaron, turn aside the people from the works? Go forth each of you to his works! 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, now [⁵are numerous ¹The ²people ³of the ⁴land]; [²not ³then ¹I shall] rest them from the works.

Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

6 [³gave orders ¹And ²Pharaoh] to the foremen of the people, and to the scribes, saying, 7 No longer will it be added to give straw to the people for the brickmaking, as yesterday and the third day before. Let them go and bring together for themselves the straw! 8 And the rate of the making of bricks which they produce each day, you shall put it upon them. You shall not remove any of them, for they are idle. On account of this they cry out, saying, We should go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let [⁴be oppressive ¹the ²works ³of these men], and let [²be anxious ¹these men], and not anxious in [²words ¹empty]! 10 And hastened of them the foremen, and the scribes of the people. And they said to the people, saying, Thus says Pharaoh, No longer do I give to you straw. 11 You yourselves in going, collect together for yourselves straw! from where ever you should find. For nothing is removed from your rate, not one thing. 12 And he dispersed the people in the entire land of Egypt to gather together stubble for straw. 13 But the foremen hastened them, saying, You complete the works, the ones fit according to the day, just as also when the straw was given to you. 14 And they were whipped -- the scribes of the race of the sons of Israel, the ones being placed over them by the supervisors of Pharaoh, and saying, Why did you not complete your rate of the making of bricks as also yesterday and the third day before and today? 15 And entering, the scribes of the sons of Israel yelled out to Pharaoh, saying, Why do you thus do to your servants? 16 Straw has not been given to your servants, and [³brick ¹they tell us ²to make]. And behold, your servants have been whipped. Shall you wrong therefore your people? 17 And he said to them, You are idle, you are idlers. Because of this you say, We should go, we should sacrifice to the lord. 18 Now then, in going, work! For the straw [²to you ¹shall not be given], and the rate for the making of bricks you shall render. 19 [⁷seeing ¹And ²the ³scribes ⁴of the ⁵sons ⁶of Israel] themselves in bad ways, in the saying, You shall not leave off from the making of bricks fit for the day, 20 that they met Moses and Aaron coming to meet with them in their going forth from Pharaoh. 21 And they said to them, [²give ⁴over ¹God ³you] and judge, for you caused [²to be abhorred ¹our scent] before Pharaoh, and before his attendants, to put a broadsword into his hands to kill us. 22 [³turned ¹And ²Moses] to the lord, and said, O lord, for why did you inflict evil on this people? And why have you sent me? 23 And when I went to Pharaoh to speak in the [²being to you ¹name], he inflicted evil on this people, and you did not rescue your people.