Exodus 5 · Parashat Shemot

And afterwards Moshe and Aharon went in, and told Par῾o, Thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.

And Par῾o said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Yisra᾽el go? I know not the Lord, nor will I let Yisra᾽el go.

And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice to the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

And the king of Miżrayim said to them, Why do you, Moshe and Aharon, distract the people from their works? get you to your burdens.

And Par῾o, said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and you make them rest from their burdens.

And Par῾o the same day commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

You shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

And the quantity of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish aught of it: for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

Let more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour in it; and let them not regard vain words.

And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus says Par῾o, I will not give you straw.

Go, get you straw wherever you can find it: yet nothing of your work shall be diminished.

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Miżrayim to gather stubble for straw.

And the taskmasters urged them on, saying, Fulfill your work, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

And the officers of the children of Yisra᾽el, whom Par῾o’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying, Wherefore have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?

Then the officers of the children of Yisra᾽el came and cried to Par῾o, saying, Why dost thou deal thus with thy servants?

There is no straw given to thy servants, and they say to us, Make bricks: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thy own people.

But he said, You are idle, you are idle: therefore you say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet shall you deliver the quantity of bricks.

And the officers of the children of Yisra᾽el saw that they were in evil case, after it was said, You shall not in any way reduce your bricks or your daily task.

And they met Moshe and Aharon, who stood in the way, as they came out from Par῾o.

And they said to them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because you have made us abhorrent in the eyes of Par῾o, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

And Moshe returned to the Lord, and said, Lord, why hast thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

for since I came to Par῾o to speak in thy name, he has done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.