Exodus 5
Smith's Literal Translation Par ▾ 

Pharaoh’s First Refusal

1And afterwards Moses and Aaron and they will say to Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel, Send forth my people, and they shall keep a festival to me in the desert. 2And Pharaoh will say, Who is Jehovah, whose voice I shall hear to send forth Israel? I knew not Jehovah, and also I shall not send Israel forth. 3And they will say, The God of the Hebrews called to us; we will go now a way of three days into the desert, and we will sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest he fall upon us with death or with the sword. 4And the king of Egypt will say to them, For what Moses and Aaron, will ye let go loose the people from their works? go ye to your burdens. 5And Pharaoh will say, Behold, many now are the people of the land, and ye turned them away from their burdens.

Bricks and Straw

6And Pharaoh will command in that day those urging on over the people, and their scribes, saying, 7Ye shall not gather straw to give to the people to make bricks as yesterday, and the third day: they shall go and gather straw for themselves. 8And the measure of bricks which they made yesterday and the third day, ye shall put upon them; ye shall not take away from it, for they are slack; for this they cried, saying, We will go to sacrifice to our God. 9The work shall be heavy upon the men, and they shall work in it, and they shall not look upon empty words.

10And the urgers on of the people will go forth, and the scribes, and they will speak to the people, saying, Thus said Pharaoh, I gave you not straw. 11Go ye, take straw for yourselves, from where ye shall find it; for not a word shall be taken away from your works. 12And the people will be dispersed in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13And the urgers on will hasten them, saying, Complete your work; the word of a day, in its day, as in there being straw. 14And the scribes of the sons of Israel will be beaten, which Pharaoh's urgers on set over them, saying, Wherefore did ye not complete your allowance of brick as yesterday and the third day, also yesterday, also this day?

The Cry of the Israelites

15And the scribes of the sons of Israel will come in, and will cry to Pharaoh, saying, For what wilt thou do this to thy servants? 16Straw was not given to thy servants, and they said to us, Make bricks: and behold, thy servants were beaten; and the sin, thy people. 17And he will say, Ye are idle, ye are idle: for this ye said, We will go to sacrifice to Jehovah. 18And now go, work; and straw shall not be given to you, and ye shall give the measure of bricks. 19And the scribes of the sons of Israel will see themselves in evil, for saying, Ye shall not take away from the bricks the word of a day in its day. 20And they will light upon Moses and Aaron, going forth to their meeting in their coming out from Pharaoh. 21And they will say to them, Jehovah will look upon you and will judge, because ye made our odor hateful in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to give a sword into their hand to kill us.

22And Moses will turn back to Jehovah, and he will say, My Lord, why didst thou evil to this people? wherefore for this didst, thou send me? 23And from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he did evil to this people: and delivering, thou didst not deliver thy people.


The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

Exodus 4
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