Exodus 5:19 - Prayer Tents

Moses Confronts Pharaoh

5Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival for Me in the wilderness."H310H4872H175H935H559H6547H559H3068H430H3478H5971H7971H2287H4057 2But Pharaoh responded, "Who is the LORD that I should obey Him by letting Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and what's more, I will not let Israel go."H6547H559H3068H8085H6963H3478H7971H3045H3068H3478H7971 3Then they answered, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, or else He may strike us with plague or sword."H559H430H5680H7122H3212H7969H3117H1870H4057H2076H3068H430H6293H1698H2719 4The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labors!"H4428H4714H559H4872H175H6544H5971H4639H3212H5450 5Pharaoh also said, "Look, the people of the land are so numerous, and you would stop them from working."H6547H559H5971H776H7227H7673H5450

Further Oppression of Israel

6That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the people as well as their foremen:H6547H6680H3117H5065H5971H7860H559 7"Don't continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves.H3254H5414H5971H8401H3835H3843H8032H8543H3212H7197H8401 8But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers— that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'H4971H3843H6213H8032H8543H7760H1639H7503H6817H559H3212H2076H430 9Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words."H5656H3513H582H6213H8159H8267H1697 10So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I am not giving you straw.H5065H5971H3318H7860H559H5971H559H559H6547H5414H8401 11Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.'"H3212H3947H8401H834H4672H3588H1697H5656H1639 12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.H5971H6327H776H4714H7197H7179H8401 13The overseers insisted, "Finish your assigned work each day, just as [you did] when straw was [provided]."H5065H213H559H3615H4639H3117H1697H1961H8401 14Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, "Why haven't you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as [you did] before?"H7860H1121H3478H6547H5065H7760H5221H559H3615H2706H3835H8543H3117H8032H8543 15So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way?H7860H1121H3478H935H6817H6547H559H6213H5650 16No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault."H8401H5414H5650H559H6213H3843H5650H5221H2398H5971 17But he said, "You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying, 'Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.'H559H7503H7503H559H3212H2076H3068 18Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks."H3212H5647H8401H5414H5414H8506H3843 19The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks."H7860H1121H3478H7200H7451H559H1639H3843H3117H3117H1697 20When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood [waiting] to meet them.H6293H4872H175H5324H7125H3318H6547 21"May the LORD take note of you and judge," they said to them, "because you have made us reek in front of Pharaoh and his officials— putting a sword in their hand to kill us!"H559H3068H7200H8199H7381H887H5869H6547H5869H5650H5414H2719H3027H2026 22So Moses went back to the LORD and asked, "Lord, why have You caused trouble for this people? And why did You ever send me?H4872H7725H3068H559H136H7489H5971H7971 23Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in Your name he has caused trouble for this people, and You haven't delivered Your people at all."H935H6547H1696H8034H7489H5971H5337H5971H5337