Exodus 5:9-19

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.'"

12 So the people were dispersed throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

13 The slavemasters kept pressing them. "Keep working! Make your daily quota, just as when straw was provided."

14 The foremen of the people of Isra'el, whom Pharaoh's slavemasters had appointed to be over them, were flogged and asked, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday and today, as you did formerly?"

15 Then the foremen of the people of Isra'el came and complained to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way?

16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they keep telling us to make bricks. And now your servants are being flogged, but the fault lies with your own people."

17 "Lazy!" he retorted, "You're just lazy! That's why you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to ADONAI.'

18 Get going now, and get back to work! No straw will be given to you, and you will still deliver the full amount of bricks."

19 When they said, "You are not to reduce your daily production quota of bricks," the foremen of the people of Isra'el could see that they were in deep trouble.

Exodus 5:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 5

Moses and Aaron go in to Pharaoh, and desire leave for the children of Israel to go into the wilderness three days' journey, to sacrifice to the Lord, and are answered in a very churlish and atheistical manner, and are charged with making the people idle, the consequence of which was, the taskmasters had orders, to make their work more heavy and toilsome, Ex 5:1-9 which orders were executed with severity by them, Ex 5:10-13, upon which the officers of the children of Israel complained to Pharaoh, but to no purpose, Ex 5:14-19, and meeting with Moses and Aaron, lay the blame upon them, Ex 5:20,21, which sends Moses to the Lord to expostulate with him about it, Ex 5:22,23.