| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. | 1After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.” |
| 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. | 2“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the LORD? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” |
| 3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. | 3But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.” |
| 4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. | 4Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! |
| 5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. | 5Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” Making Bricks without Straw |
| 6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, | 6That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: |
| 7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. | 7“Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! |
| 8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. | 8But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’ |
| 9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. | 9Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!” |
| 10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. | 10So the slave drivers and foremen went out and told the people: “This is what Pharaoh says: I will not provide any more straw for you. |
| 11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. | 11Go and get it yourselves. Find it wherever you can. But you must produce just as many bricks as before!” |
| 12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. | 12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in search of stubble to use as straw. |
| 13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. | 13Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. “Meet your daily quota of bricks, just as you did when we provided you with straw!” they demanded. |
| 14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? | 14Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge of the work crews. “Why haven’t you met your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded. |
| 15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? | 15So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please don’t treat your servants like this,” they begged. |
| 16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. | 16“We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault! Your own people are to blame!” |
| 17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. | 17But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the LORD.’ |
| 18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. | 18Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.” |
| 19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. | 19The Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce the number of bricks you make each day.” |
| 20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: | 20As they left Pharaoh’s court, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them. |
| 21And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. | 21The foremen said to them, “May the LORD judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his officials. You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us!” |
| 22And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? | 22Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? |
| 23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. | 23Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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