1 Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.'"

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.

2 But Pharaoh replied, "Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go."

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 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plague or with the sword."

And they said, The 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.

4 But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their labor? Get back to your work."

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.

5 And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working!"

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

6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:

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

7 "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.

Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.'

And the tale 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.

9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."

Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 So the slave drivers and overseers went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any straw.'

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.

11 "Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all."

Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.

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

13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you each day, just as when you had straw."

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

14 And Pharaoh's slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, "Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"

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

15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way?"

Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16 "No straw is given to your servants, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."

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

17 Pharaoh said, "Lazy! That’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.'

But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

18 "Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."

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

19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you each day."

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

20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,

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

21 They said to them, "May the Lord see and judge you, because you have made us obnoxious in the eyes of Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye 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 Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why did you send me?"

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.