Pharaoh said, “Who is YHWH, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know YHWH, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to YHWH, our God, or he may fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are y’all taking the people from their work? Get back to y’all’s work!” Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and y’all would have them rest from their labor.” The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, “Y’all must no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. Y’all are to require them to make the number of the bricks which they before. Y’all are not to reduce any of it, because they are lazy. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”
The slave drivers of the people went out with their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give y’all straw. Y’all go and get straw wherever y’all can find it, because y’all’s labor will not be reduced.’” So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters pressed them saying, “Y’all must fulfill y’all’s daily work quota, just as when there was straw!” The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why haven’t y’all fulfilled y’all’s quota brick yesterday and today, as before?”
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? No straw is given to your servants, yet they tell us, ‘Y’all make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but your own people are at fault.”
But Pharaoh said, “Y’all are lazy! Y’all are lazy! That is why y’all say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to YHWH.’ Now y’all go and get to work. No straw will be given to y’all, but y’all must deliver the same quota of bricks!”
The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “Y’all must not reduce y’all’s daily quota of bricks!”
They met Moses and Aaron, who stood along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh. They said to them, “May YHWH look at y’all and judge, because y’all have made us a foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and his servants, putting a sword in their hand to kill us!”
Moses returned to YHWH, and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people. You have not rescued your people at all!”