Bricks Without Straw
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”
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Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”
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Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
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But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!”
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Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
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That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:
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“You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
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But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
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Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
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Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw.
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Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ ”
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So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
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The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.”
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And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
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Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way?
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Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
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Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
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Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”
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The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.”
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When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,
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and they said, “May the LORD look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”