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.'

14 And they smote the overseers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's officers had set over them, saying, 'Why do you not make the number of bricks yesterday and today, as you have hitherto?'

15 And the overseers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, 'Why do you do this to your servants?'

16 Stubble is not given to thy servants, but bricks, they say to us, make them. And behold, thy servants are beaten; Sin unto thy people.