1. And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah the God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. 2. And Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah, whose voice I should hear, to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and also I will not let Israel go. 3. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us; let us go, we pray, a way of three days into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 4. And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, draw away the people from their works? Go ye unto your burdens. 5. And Pharaoh said, Behold the people of the land are now many, and ye have made them cease from their burdens. 6. And Pharaoh commanded in that day the taskmasters in the people, and their officers, saying, 7. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make bricks, as yesterday, and the day before yesterday; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8. And the tale of the bricks which they made yesterday and the day before yesterday, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not take away from it; for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9. Let the service be made heavier upon the men, and let them do it; and let them not regard the words of a lie. 10. And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus said Pharaoh, I will by no means give you straw. 11. Go ye yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it; for nothing whatever shall be taken away from your service. 12. And the people scattered into all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13. And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Complete ye your works, the work of a day in its day, as when there was straw. 14. And the officers of the sons of Israel were beaten, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, saying, Wherefore do ye not complete your task in making brick, as yesterday and the day before yesterday, also yesterday, also today? 15. And the officers of the sons of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore doest thou so to thy servants? 16. There is no straw given to thy servants, and they say to us, Make ye bricks; and behold thy servants are beaten; and thy people have sinned. 17. And he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah. 18. And now go ye, serve ye, and straw shall not be given you, and the tale of bricks shall ye give. 19. And the officers of the sons of Israel saw that they were in evil when it was said, Ye shall not take away from your bricks on a day in its day. 20. And they met Moses and Aaron standing to meet them as they went forth from Pharaoh. 21. And they said unto them, Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have made our odor to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword into their hand to slay us. 22. And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Lord, wherefore hast Thou done evilly to this people? Why is this that Thou hast sent me? 23. For since I came unto Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evilly to this people; and liberating Thou hast not liberated Thy people.