5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Release¹ my people that they may hold a pilgrim feast² to me in the desert’.” 5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh³ that⁴ I should obey him⁵ by releasing⁶ Israel? I do not know Yahweh,⁷ and neither will I release Israel.” 5:3 And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three day journey⁸ into the desert that we may sacrifice⁹ to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with pestilence or sword.”¹⁰ 5:4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their labor?¹¹ Go to your labor.” 5:5 Now Pharaoh was thinking,¹² “The people of the land are now many, and you are giving them rest from their labors.”

5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded¹³ the slave masters and foremen¹⁴ who were¹⁵ over the people, saying,¹⁶ 5:7 “You will no longer¹⁷ give straw to the people for making bricks,¹⁸ as yesterday and before that; let them go¹⁹ and gather straw for themselves. 5:8 But you must require²⁰ of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before.²¹ Do not reduce it, for they are idle;²² that is why they are crying, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 5:9 Let the work be harder²³ for the men so that they will keep at it²⁴ and pay no attention to lying words.”²⁵

5:10 So the slave-masters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, I am not giving²⁶ you straw. 5:11 You²⁷ go and get straw for yourselves, from wherever you can²⁸ find it; yet nothing of your work will be diminished.” 5:12 So the people spread out²⁹ through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 5:13 And the slave masters were pressuring³⁰ them, saying “Complete³¹ your work for each day, as when there was straw.” 5:14 And the foremen of the Israelites whom the slave masters set over them were beaten, saying, “Why did you not fulfill your quota³² of making bricks in the past few days, yesterday, or today?”³³

5:15³⁴ Then the foremen of the Israelites went and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you treating³⁵ your servants this way? 5:16 There is no straw given to your servants, but we are told,³⁶ ‘Make bricks’; your servants are even³⁷ being beaten, but the fault³⁸ is with your people.”

5:17 But he said,³⁹ “You are idle; that is why you are saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 5:18 So now, get back to work.⁴⁰ Straw will not be given to you, but you must produce⁴¹ your quota⁴² of bricks.” 5:19 The foremen of the Israelites realized⁴³ that they⁴⁴ were in trouble when they were told,⁴⁵ “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”

5:20 When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them.⁴⁶ 5:21 And they said to them, “May Yahweh look on you and judge,⁴⁷ because you have made us an ill odor⁴⁸ in the opinion⁴⁹ of Pharaoh and in the opinion of his servants, so that you have put⁵⁰ a sword in their hand to kill us.”

5:22 Moses returned⁵² to Yahweh, and said, “O LORD, why have you brought trouble to this people?⁵³ Why did you ever⁵⁴ send me? 5:23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble⁵⁵ for this people, and you have certainly not rescued⁵⁶ your people.”