1 After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘Let my people go so they can hold a religious festival for me in the desert.’ ”

2 “Who is this ‘Lord’ that I should listen to his request to let Israel go?” Pharaoh replied. “I don't know the Lord and I certainly won't let Israel leave!”

3 “The God of the Hebrews came to us,” they added. “Please allow us to go a three days journey into the desert and offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. Otherwise he'll kill us by disease or by the sword.”

4 “Moses and Aaron, why are you trying to take people away from their assigned labor?” Pharaoh asked. “Get back to work!” he ordered.

5 “Look here,” he went on. “There are many of your people here in our country and you are preventing them from doing their assigned labor.” 6 That very day he ordered the slave drivers and those in charge of the people: 7 “Don't give them any more straw to make bricks like before. Have them go and collect the straw themselves. 8 But still make them produce the same quantity of bricks as before. They're lazy people—that's why they're calling out, asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices to our god. 9 Make their work harder so they can get on with it and not pay any attention to all these lies!”

10 So the slave drivers and those in charge went out and told the people, “This is what Pharaoh has ordered: ‘I won't give you any more straw. 11 Go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because your work quota won't be reduced.” 12 So the people went all over Egypt collecting stubble for straw.

13 The slave drivers kept on forcing them, saying, “You still have to do the same work as you did when you had straw provided!” 14 They beat the Israelite supervisors they had put in charge, shouting at them, “Why haven't you met your quota of bricks as you did before?”

15 The Israelite supervisors went to Pharaoh to complain, saying, “Why are you treating us your servants like this? 16 You don't give us any straw but your slave drivers demand that we make bricks, and they beat us! Your people are treating us badly!”

17 “No, you're just lazy, lazy people!” Pharaoh replied. “That's why you keep on asking, ‘Please let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ 18 Now get out of here and go back to work! You won't be given any straw but you'll still have to produce the full quota of bricks!”

19 The Israelite supervisors realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the daily production of bricks.”

20 They went over to Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them after their meeting with Pharaoh, 21 and said, “May the Lord see what you have done and judge you accordingly! You have made us like a bad smell to Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword in their hands to kill us!”

22 Moses went back to the Lord and complained, “Why have you caused all this trouble for your own people, Lord? Was this why you sent me?

23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has been even harder on your people, and you haven't done anything to save them!”