5 After that, Mosheh and Aharon went in and said to Far’oh, “This is what Israel’s God Yahweh says: ‘Let my people go, so they can celebrate me out in the wilderness.’ ”

2 But the king said, “Who’s this ‘Yahweh’ that I should listen to him telling me to let Israel go? I don’t know Yahweh, and what’s more, I won’t let the Israelis go anywhere.”

3 “The God of us Hebrews has met with us,” they replied, “Please, let us go three days into the wilderness so we can sacrifice to our God Yahweh, because we don’t want him to strike us with the plague or with war.”

4 “Mosheh and Aharon,” the king of Egypt answered, “why are you causing the people to slacken off from their tasks? Get back to your work.” 5 And Far’oh continued, “Listen, there’s many of you and you two have caused them to rest from their duties.”

6 Then on that very same day, Far’oh ordered the people’s slave masters and supervisors, 7 “Don’t give straw to the people to make bricks with as you’ve done up till now. They can go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But keep the same quota of bricks as before—don’t decrease it because they must be idle if they have time to say, ‘Let us go—let us sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Give the men more work so they’ll be too busy to worry about deceptive words.”

10 So the slave masters and supervisors of the people went out and told them all, “The king has said that he won’t give you any more straw, 11 so you’ll all have to go and get your own straw from wherever you can find it, because there’ll be no reduction to your quota.” 12 So the people dispersed throughout all of Egypt to gather stubble for straw, 13 and the taskmasters were hassling them, saying, “Hurry up and finish your day’s work, the same as when you were given straw.” 14 Then the Israeli foremen that Far’oh’s slave masters had appointed were beaten and told, “Why haven’t you met your required brick making quota yesterday or today? It’s just the same as in the past.”

15 So the Israeli foremen went and complained to Far’oh, “Why are you treating your servants like this? 16 We haven’t been given any straw and yet they’re telling us to keep making bricks. And see, we your servants get beaten, but it’s your people’s mistake.”

17 “You’re all lazy—plain lazy!” the king responded. “That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 18 So go now! Back to work! And you won’t be given straw, but you still have to meet the quota of bricks.”

19 When the Israeli foremen heard that the quota wasn’t going to be reduced, they realised how serious their problem was, 20 so when they left Far’oh they confronted Mosheh and Aharon who were waiting to meet them, 21 “May Yahweh see what you’ve done and judge you for it because you’ve raised a big stink in Far’oh’s mind and with his servants. Now they have their excuse to kill us!”