nsb - 5

nsb@Exodus:5:1 @ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said: »Jehovah, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness.«

nsb@Exodus:5:2 @ But Pharaoh responded: »Who is Jehovah, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, and besides, I will not let Israel go.«

nsb@Exodus:5:3 @ Then they said: »The God of the Hebrews met with us. Please, let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness. Then we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. Otherwise he will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.«

nsb@Exodus:5:4 @ The king of Egypt replied: »Moses and Aaron, why do you distract the people from their work? Get back to work!«

nsb@Exodus:5:5 @ Pharaoh added: »Look how many people there are in the land! Do you want them to quit working?«

nsb@Exodus:5:6 @ Pharaoh gave these orders to the slave drivers and foremen:

nsb@Exodus:5:7 @ »Do not give the people any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them gather their own straw.

nsb@Exodus:5:8 @ »Insist that they make the same number of bricks they were making before. Making fewer bricks will not be acceptable. They are lazy! That is why they are crying: Let us go offer sacrifices to our God.

nsb@Exodus:5:9 @ »Make the work harder for these people so that they will be too busy to listen to lies.«

nsb@Exodus:5:10 @ The slave drivers and the Israelite foremen went out and said to the Israelites: »The king has said that he will not supply you with any more straw.

nsb@Exodus:5:11 @ »He says that you must go and get it for yourselves wherever you can find it. You must still make the same number of bricks.«

nsb@Exodus:5:12 @ So the people went all over Egypt looking for straw.

nsb@Exodus:5:13 @ The slave bosses were hard on them. They kept saying: »Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.«

nsb@Exodus:5:14 @ The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said: »Why did you not force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?«

nsb@Exodus:5:15 @ Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and asked: »Why are you treating us like this?

nsb@Exodus:5:16 @ »No one brings us any straw. Yet we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.«

nsb@Exodus:5:17 @ The king replied: »You are lazy. You are just lazy! That is why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to Jehovah.

nsb@Exodus:5:18 @ »Get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.«

nsb@Exodus:5:19 @ The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told: »Do not make fewer bricks each day than you are supposed to.«

nsb@Exodus:5:20 @ Leaving the Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting for them.

nsb@Exodus:5:21 @ They said: »May Jehovah see what you have done and judge you! You have made Pharaoh and his officials hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.«

nsb@Exodus:5:22 @ Moses went back to Jehovah and asked: »Why have you brought this trouble on your people? Why did you send me?

nsb@Exodus:5:23 @ »Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has treated your people cruelly, and you have done nothing at all to rescue your people.«

Exodus 5