5

1 And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may keep me a feast in the wilderness.

2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, and let Israel go?" I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.

3 They said to him, "The God of the Hebrews has called us; let us go into the wilderness for three days' journey to offer sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he smite us with a plague or with a sword.

4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract my people from their works? Go [each of you] to your work.

5 And Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people in this land are many, and you divert them from their work."

6 And on the same day Pharaoh commanded the officers of the people and the overseers, saying,

7 Give no more straw to the people to make bricks, as yesterday and the third day, let them go and gather up stubble for themselves,

8 And the bricks shall put upon them the same number of bricks as they did yesterday and the third day, and shall not diminish them. they are idle, therefore they cry out: "Come, let us offer sacrifice to our God;

9 To give them more work to do, that they may work, and not be occupied with vain speech.

10 And the officers of the people and their overseers went out, and said to the people, 'Thus says Pharaoh, I do not give you stubble;

11 Go yourselves, and take stubble for yourselves wherever you find, and nothing is diminished from your work.

12 And the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt, gathering stubble instead of stubble.

13 And the stewards urged them, saying, 'Do your work every day, as when you had stubble.'