Moses and Aaron Confront Pharaoh

5 Later Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Let my people go into the desert to celebrate a festival in my honor.”

² Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I won’t let Israel go.”

³ They replied, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t go, he may kill us with a plague or a war.”

⁴ The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their work? Get back to work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh added, “Look how many people there are in the land! Do you want them to quit working?”

Pharaoh Increases the Israelites’ Labor

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave these orders to the slave drivers and foremen: ⁷ “Don’t give the people any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them gather their own straw, ⁸ but insist that they make the same number of bricks they were making before. Making fewer bricks will not be acceptable. They’re lazy! That’s why they’re crying, ‘Let us go offer sacrifices to our God.’ ⁹ Make the work harder for these people so that they will be too busy to listen to lies.”

¹⁰ The slave drivers and foreman went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: I’m no longer giving you straw. ¹¹ Get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work load will not be reduced one bit.”

¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept hurrying them. They said, “Finish the same amount of work each day, just as when you had straw.”

¹⁴ Pharaoh’s slave drivers had placed Israelite foremen in charge of the people. The slave drivers beat the foremen and said, “You didn’t finish all the bricks you were ordered to make yesterday or today. Why didn’t you make as many as you used to?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite foremen complained to Pharaoh. They asked, “Why are you treating us this way? ¹⁶ We’re given no straw, and yet we’re told to make bricks. We’re being beaten, but your men are at fault.”

¹⁷ “You’re lazy! ⌞Just plain⌟ lazy!” Pharaoh answered. “That’s why you keep saying, ‘Let us go offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get back to work! You won’t be given any straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “Don’t make fewer bricks each day than you’re supposed to.”

²⁰ As they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting for them. ²¹ So they said, “May the Lord see what you have done and judge you! You have made Pharaoh and his officials hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”

²² Moses went back to the Lord and asked, “Why have you brought this trouble on your people? Why did you send me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak for you, he has treated your people cruelly, and you have done nothing at all to rescue your people.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. I will show him my power, and he will let my people go. I will show him my power, and he will throw them out of his country.”

Jesus Dies on the Cross^(A)

³³ At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

³⁵ When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” ³⁶ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

³⁷ Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. ³⁸ The curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom.

³⁹ When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of young James and Joseph), and Salome. ⁴¹ They had followed him and supported him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there too.

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb^(B)

⁴² It was Friday evening, before the day of rest—a holy day, ⁴³ when Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and was an important member of the Jewish council. He, too, was waiting for God’s kingdom. Joseph boldly went to Pilate’s quarters to ask for the body of Jesus.

⁴⁴ Pilate wondered if Jesus had already died. So he summoned the officer to ask him if Jesus was, in fact, dead. ⁴⁵ When the officer had assured him that Jesus was dead, Pilate let Joseph have the corpse.

⁴⁶ Joseph had purchased some linen cloth. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the cloth. Then he laid the body in a tomb, which had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary from Magdala and Mary (the mother of Joses) watched where Jesus was laid.