Exodus 5:6-Exodus 6:1 - Further Oppression Of Israel
6 Pharaoh gave these orders to the slave drivers and foremen: 7 Do not give the people any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them gather their own straw. 8 Insist that they make the same number of bricks they were making before. Making fewer bricks will not be acceptable. They are lazy! That is why they are crying: Let us go offer sacrifices to our God. 9 Make the work harder for these people so that they will be too busy to listen to lies.
10 The slave drivers and the Israelite foremen went out and said to the Israelites: The king has said that he will not supply you with any more straw. 11 He says that you must go and get it for yourselves wherever you can find it. You must still make the same number of bricks. 12 So the people went all over Egypt looking for straw. 13 The slave bosses were hard on them. They kept saying: Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw. 14 The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said: Why did you not force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?
15 Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and asked: Why are you treating us like this? 16 No one brings us any straw. Yet we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.
17 The king replied: You are lazy. You are just lazy! That is why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to Jehovah. 18 Get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.
19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told: Do not make fewer bricks each day than you are supposed to. 20 Leaving the Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting for them.
21 They said: May Jehovah see what you have done and judge you! You have made Pharaoh and his officials hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.
22 Moses went back to Jehovah and asked: Why have you brought this trouble on your people? Why did you send me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has treated your people cruelly, and you have done nothing at all to rescue your people.
1 Jehovah said to Moses: Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. I will show him my power. He will let my people go! I will show him my power, and he will throw them out of his country.