Exodus 5:1-14

After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’ ” But the king of Egypt said, “Who is the LORD? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war.” But the king said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your jobs! There are very many Hebrews, and now you want them to quit working!” That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen. He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw. But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they are asking me, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’ Make these people work harder and keep them busy; then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses.” So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, “This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before.” So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw. The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, “You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” The king’s slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past?”