1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a festival unto Me in the wilderness.’” 2And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” 3And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; so that He does not strike us with pestilence, or with the sword.” 4And the king of Egypt replied, “Why do you, Moses, and Aaron, take the people from their work? Now get back to your work!” 5And Pharaoh added, “Look how many of your people are now in the land; and you are interfering with their work.”

6And that same day, Pharaoh issued this order to their slave drivers and overseers of the Israelites: 7“You shall no longer provide the people with straw to make brick, as you did before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8But you shall require them to make the same number of bricks as before; you shall not reduce their quota; for they are idle; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Lay more work upon the men, so that they disregard lying words.” 10And so the slave drivers and overseers of the people went out, and announced to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will no longer supply straw to you. 11Go, get straw wherever you can find it; but none of your production quota shall be reduced.” 12So the people were spread abroad throughout all the land of Egypt, gathering stubble instead of straw. 13And the slave drivers pushed them, saying, fulfill your daily work quotas, as when there was straw. 14And the Israelite overseers, that Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, “Why have you not met your quota for brick production yesterday and today, as before?” 15Then the Israelite overseers came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you deal with your servants this way? 16There is no straw supplied to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ Your servants are beaten; but the fault is with your own people.” 17But Pharaoh said, “You are idle, and lazy – that is why you say, ‘Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18So get to work now; but there shall no more straw be supplied to you, but you still must deliver the same quota of bricks.”

19And the overseers of the Israelites could see that they were in serious trouble, after they were told, “Your daily quota of bricks shall not be diminish.” 20And so they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside, as they came out from Pharaoh: 21And they said to them, “May the LORD look upon, and judge you; because you have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22And Moses returned and said to the LORD, “LORD, why have You so badly treated this people? Why have You sent me? 23For ever since I came and spoke to Pharaoh in Your name, he has become even more brutal to our people; nor have You relieved Your people at all.”