Exodus 5

Wycliffe Bible

5 After these things Moses and Aaron entered, and said to Pharaoh, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Deliver thou my people, that it make sacrifice to me in desert (The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Let my people go, so that they can hold a Feast unto me in the wilderness).

² And Pharaoh answered, Who is the Lord, that I hear his voice, and deliver Israel? I know not the Lord, and I shall not deliver Israel. (And Pharaoh answered, 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.)

³ They said, [The] God of Hebrews called us, that we go the way of three days into wilderness, and that we make sacrifice to our Lord God, lest peradventure pestilence, or sword, befall to us. (And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath told us that we should make journey for three days into the wilderness, and that we should offer our sacrifices to the Lord our God, lest pestilence, or the sword, befall us.)

⁴ (And) The king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why stir ye (up) the people from their works? Go ye to your charges (Get back to your work!).

⁵ And Pharaoh said, The people of the land is much; ye see that the company hath increased; how much more shall it increase, if ye shall give to them rest from works. (And Pharaoh said, There be many of thy people in this land; ye see how they have increased; how much more shall they increase, if ye shall get them rest from their work.)

⁶ Therefore Pharaoh commanded in that day to the masters of works (And so that day Pharaoh commanded to the taskmasters), and to the rent gatherers of the people, and said,

⁷ Ye shall no more give straw to the people, to make tilestones, as ye have done before; but go they, and gather stubble; (No more shall ye give straw to the people, to make the bricks, as ye have done before; but let them go, and gather the stubble themselves;)

⁸ and ye shall set on them the measure of tilestones, which they made before (but ye shall still require from them the same number of bricks, which they made before), neither ye shall abate anything; for they be idle, and therefore they cry (out), and say, Go we, and make we sacrifice(s) to our God;

⁹ be they oppressed by works, and fulfill they those (let them be oppressed by their work, and make them complete it), (so) that they assent not to false words.

¹⁰ Therefore the masters of the works and the rent gatherers went out to the people, and said, Thus saith Pharaoh, I give not to you straw (I shall not give you any more straw);

¹¹ go ye, and gather ye (it yourselves), if ye may find (it) any where; neither anything shall be decreased of your work (but your daily quota shall not be decreased).

¹² And the people was scattered by all the land of Egypt to gather straw. (And so the people scattered out into all the land of Egypt to gather straw.)

¹³ And the masters of the works were busy, and said, Fulfill ye your work each day, as ye were wont to do (before), when the straw was given to you.

¹⁴ And they, that were (the) masters of the works of the sons of Israel, were beaten of the rent gatherers of Pharaoh, that said, Why fulfilled ye not the measure of tilestones, as ye did before, neither yesterday, neither today? (And they, who were the taskmasters of the Israelites, were beaten by Pharaoh’s rent gatherers, who said to them, Why have ye not made the same number of bricks as ye did before, not yesterday, nor today?)

¹⁵ And the sovereigns of the children of Israel came (And the taskmasters of the Israelites came), and cried to Pharaoh, and said, Why doest thou so against thy servants?

¹⁶ Straw is not given to us, and tilestones be commanded in like manner (Straw is not given to us, but yet the same number of bricks be required from us as before). Lo! we thy servants be beaten with scourges, and it is done unjustly against thy people.

¹⁷ (But) Pharaoh said, Ye give attention to idleness, and therefore ye say, Go we, and make we sacrifice(s) to the Lord;

¹⁸ therefore go ye (now), and (get to) work; (for) straw shall not be given to you, and ye shall yield the customable number of tilestones (but ye shall yield the same, or the customary, number of bricks, as before).

¹⁹ And the sovereigns of the children of Israel saw themselves in evil, for it was said to them, Nothing shall be decreased of tilestones by all days. (And the taskmasters of the Israelites saw themselves in an evil situation, for it was said to them, The number of bricks that ye must produce each day will not be decreased.)

²⁰ And they coming out from Pharaoh, met Moses and Aaron, that stood even there against (who were standing there, waiting for them),

²¹ and they said to them, The Lord see, and deem (thee), for ye have made our odour, or fame, (to) stink before Pharaoh, and his servants, that is, ye have made us abominable and hateful (to them); and ye have given to him a sword, that he should slay us (with).

²² And Moses turned again to the Lord, and said, Lord, why hast thou tormented this people? why sentest thou me?

²³ For since I entered to Pharaoh, that I should speak in thy name, thou hast tormented thy people, and hast not delivered them. (For since I went in to speak in thy name to Pharaoh, he hath tormented thy people, and thou hast not rescued them.)