Exodus 5:1-10

1Later Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Let my people go into the desert to celebrate a festival in my honor.”

2Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I won’t let Israel go.”

3They replied, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t go, he may kill us with a plague or a war.”

4The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their work? Get back to work!”

5Then Pharaoh added, “Look how many people there are in the land! Do you want them to quit working?”

6That same day Pharaoh gave these orders to the slave drivers and foremen:

7“Don’t give the people any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them gather their own straw,

8but insist that they make the same number of bricks they were making before. Making fewer bricks will not be acceptable. They’re lazy! That’s why they’re crying, ‘Let us go offer sacrifices to our God.’

9Make the work harder for these people so that they will be too busy to listen to lies.”

10The slave drivers and foreman went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: I’m no longer giving you straw.