Exodus 5:1-9

Israel’s Labor Increased

¹And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” ²But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” ³Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.” ⁴But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their work? Get back to your labors!” ⁵Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!” ⁶So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, ⁷“You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as previously; have them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸But you shall impose on them the quota of bricks which they were making before; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, for that reason they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let the labor be heavier on the men, and have them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”