4
(And) The king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why stir ye (up) the people from their works? Go ye to your charges (Get back to your work!).
5
And Pharaoh said, The people of the land is much; ye see that the company hath increased; how much more shall it increase, if ye shall give to them rest from works. (And Pharaoh said, There be many of thy people in this land; ye see how they have increased; how much more shall they increase, if ye shall get them rest from their work.)
6
Therefore Pharaoh commanded in that day to the masters of works (And so that day Pharaoh commanded to the taskmasters), and to the rent gatherers of the people, and said,
7
Ye shall no more give straw to the people, to make tilestones, as ye have done before; but go they, and gather stubble; (No more shall ye give straw to the people, to make the bricks, as ye have done before; but let them go, and gather the stubble themselves;)
8
and ye shall set on them the measure of tilestones, which they made before (but ye shall still require from them the same number of bricks, which they made before), neither ye shall abate anything; for they be idle, and therefore they cry (out), and say, Go we, and make we sacrifice(s) to our God;
9
be they oppressed by works, and fulfill they those (let them be oppressed by their work, and make them complete it), (so) that they assent not to false words.
10
Therefore the masters of the works and the rent gatherers went out to the people, and said, Thus saith Pharaoh, I give not to you straw (I shall not give you any more straw);
11
go ye, and gather ye (it yourselves), if ye may find (it) any where; neither anything shall be decreased of your work (but your daily quota shall not be decreased).
12
And the people was scattered by all the land of Egypt to gather straw. (And so the people scattered out into all the land of Egypt to gather straw.)
13
And the masters of the works were busy, and said, Fulfill ye your work each day, as ye were wont to do (before), when the straw was given to you.
14
And they, that were (the) masters of the works of the sons of Israel, were beaten of the rent gatherers of Pharaoh, that said, Why fulfilled ye not the measure of tilestones, as ye did before, neither yesterday, neither today? (And they, who were the taskmasters of the Israelites, were beaten by Pharaoh's rent gatherers, who said to them, Why have ye not made the same number of bricks as ye did before, not yesterday, nor today?)