1
After that, Moshe and Aharon came and said to Pharaoh, "Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, says: 'Let my people go, so that they can celebrate a festival in the desert to honor me.'"
2
But Pharaoh replied, "Who is ADONAI, that I should obey when he says to let Isra'el go? I don't know ADONAI, and I also won't let Isra'el go."
3
They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the desert, so that we can sacrifice to ADONAI our God. Otherwise, he may strike us with a plague or with the sword."
4
The king of Egypt answered them, "Moshe and Aharon, what do you mean by taking the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!
5
Look!" Pharaoh added, "the population of the land has grown, yet you are trying to have them stop working!"
6
That same day Pharaoh ordered the slavemasters and the people's foremen,
7
"You are no longer to provide straw for the bricks the people are making, as you did before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8
But you will require them to produce the same quantity of bricks as before, don't reduce it, because they're lazing around. This is why they're crying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9
Give these people harder work to do. That will keep them too busy to pay attention to speeches full of lies."
10
The people's slavemasters went out, their foremen too, and said to the people, "Here is what Pharaoh says: 'I will no longer give you straw.
11
You go, yourselves, and get straw wherever you can find it. But your output is not to be reduced.'"