Exodus [3]

Exodus 5

Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go."

Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."

And the king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? Get to your work!"

Then Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their work!"

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

"You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.

But the amount of bricks you made before, you shall make, you shall not lessen it at all. For you are lazy. Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.'"

So the taskmasters of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw.

Go yourselves, get straw wherever you can find it, for none of your work will be lessened.'"

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

And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, "Complete your work, your daily quota, just as when you had straw."

Then the officers of the children of Israel were beaten, and they were asked, "Why have you not completed your quota of bricks, both yesterday and today, as before?"

And the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal thus with your servants?

There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, 'Make bricks!' And behold, your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your people."

Then he said, "You are lazy, you are lazy! That is why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.'"

Go therefore, and work; for no straw will be given to you, but you shall deliver the same number of bricks."

And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in distress. They said to Pharaoh, "Please, let your servants have straw, and we will make the bricks that you command us to make. But do not let your servants be beaten."

Then he said, "Go, get straw yourselves, and whoever does not bring his quota of bricks, he will be beaten. For I know that you are lazy, seeking an opportunity to escape from work."

Exodus 6

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

And God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord.

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, the Lord, I was not known to them.

And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, where they were strangers.

I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

Therefore say to the children of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

And I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord."

And Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and cruel bondage.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

"Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land."

And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, "Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me; why then should Pharaoh listen to me, for I am uncircumcised of lip?"

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.