English / ERV
Exodus 5
Easy-to-Read Version, 2006
- 1After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to Pharaoh and said, “The LORD,[1] the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go into the desert so that they can have a festival to honor me.’”
- 2But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD? Why should I obey him? Why should I let Israel go? I don’t even know who this LORD is, so I refuse to let Israel go.”
- 3Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews[2] has talked with us. So we beg you to let us travel three days into the desert. There we will offer a sacrifice to the LORD our God. If we don’t do this, he might become angry and destroy us. He might make us die from sickness or war.”
- 4But Pharaoh said to them, “Moses and Aaron, you are bothering the workers. Let them do their work. Go back to your own work!
- 5There are very many workers, and you are keeping them from doing their jobs.”
- 6That same day Pharaoh gave a command to the slave masters and Hebrew foremen.
- 7He said, “You have always given the people straw to use to make bricks. But now, tell them they have to go and find their own straw to make bricks.
- 8But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. They have gotten lazy. That is why they are asking me to let them go. They don’t have enough work to do. That is why they asked me to let them make sacrifices to their God.
- 9So make these people work harder. Keep them busy. Then they will not have enough time to listen to the lies of Moses.”
- 10So the Egyptian slave masters and the Hebrew foremen went to the Israelites and said, “Pharaoh has decided that he will not give you straw for your bricks.
- 11You must go and get the straw for yourselves. So go and find straw, but you must still make as many bricks as you made before.”
- So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for straw.