Exodus 5:1-7:13

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Bricks without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.”^{(A) 2} But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”^{(B) 3} Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us; let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence or sword.”^{(C) 4} But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”^{(D) 5} Pharaoh continued, “Now they are more numerous than the people of the land^[a] and yet you want them to stop laboring!”^{(E) 6} That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors,^{(F) 7} “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(G) 9} Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will pay attention to^[b] it and not to deceptive words.”

¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the supervisors of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you straw.^{(H) 11} Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find it, but your work will not be lessened in the least.” ¹² So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters urged them on, saying, “Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw.”^{[c] 14} And the Israelite supervisors whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them were beaten and were asked, “Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?”^(I)

¹⁵ Then the Israelite supervisors came to Pharaoh and cried, “Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look how your servants are beaten! But the fault is with you.”^{[d] 17} He said, “You are lazy, lazy; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’^{(J) 18} Go now and work, for no straw shall be given you, but you shall still deliver the same number of bricks.” ¹⁹ The Israelite supervisors saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You shall not lessen your daily number of bricks.” ²⁰ As they left Pharaoh, they came upon Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them. ²¹ They said to them, “The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”^(K)

²² Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O my Lord, why have you mistreated this people? Why did you ever send me?^{(L) 23} Since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has mistreated this people, and you have done nothing at all to deliver your people.”^(M)

Israel’s Deliverance Assured

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”^(N)

² God also spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty,^[e] but by my name ‘The Lord’^[f] I did not make myself known to them.^{(O) 4} I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they resided as aliens.^{(P) 5} I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have remembered my covenant.^{(Q) 6} Say therefore to the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.^{(R) 7} I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.^{(S) 8} I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”^{(T) 9} Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery.

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹¹ “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses spoke to the Lord, “The Israelites have not listened to me; why should Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that I am?”^{[g] 13} Thus the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to free the Israelites from the land of Egypt.

The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

¹⁴ The following are the heads of their ancestral houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.^{(U) 15} The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.^{(V) 16} The following are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogies: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred thirty-seven years.^{(W) 17} The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their families.^{(X) 18} The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred thirty-three years.^{(Y) 19} The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their genealogies.^{(Z) 20} Amram married Jochebed his aunt, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred thirty-seven years.^{(AA) 21} The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.^{(AB) 22} The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.^{(AC) 23} Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴ The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.^{(AD) 25} Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the ancestral houses of the Levites by their families.^(AE)

²⁶ It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company.” ²⁷ It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, the same Moses and Aaron.

Moses and Aaron Obey God’s Commands

²⁸ On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I am speaking to you.”^{(AF) 30} But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I am a poor speaker,^[h] why should Pharaoh listen to me?”^(AG)

7 The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.^{(AH) 2} You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.^{(AI) 3} But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.^{(AJ) 4} When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.^{(AK) 5} The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”^{(AL) 6} Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.^{(AM) 7} Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.^(AN)

Aaron’s Miraculous Rod

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a wonder,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ”^{(AO) 10} So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.^{(AP) 11} Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts.^{(AQ) 12} Each one threw down his staff, and they became snakes, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up theirs. ¹³ However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.^(AR)