Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,^(A) so that they may hold a festival^(B) to me in the wilderness.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,^(C) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”^(D)

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey^(E) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues^(F) or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?^(G) Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,^(H) and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers^(I) and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;^(J) let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.^(K) They are lazy;^(L) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(M) 9} Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

¹⁰ Then the slave drivers^(N) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. ¹¹ Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced^(O) at all.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,^(P) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? ¹⁶ Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

¹⁷ Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!^(Q) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get to work.^(R) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, ²¹ and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge^(S) you! You have made us obnoxious^(T) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword^(U) in their hand to kill us.”^(V)

God Promises Deliverance

²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?^(W) Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued^(X) your people at all.”

Jesus Before Pilate^(A)

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(B)

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.^{(C) 13} Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”^{(D) 14} But Jesus made no reply,^(E) not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner^(F) chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^[a] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{(G) 18} For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,^(H) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent^(I) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream^(J) because of him.”

²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.^(K)

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^(L) Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar^(M) was starting, he took water and washed his hands^(N) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”^(O) he said. “It is your responsibility!”^(P)

²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”^(Q)

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,^(R) and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(S)

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium^(T) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,^{(U) 29} and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.^{(V) 30} They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^{(W) 31} After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^(X)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(Y)

³² As they were going out,^(Z) they met a man from Cyrene,^(AA) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(AB) 33} They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).^{(AC) 34} There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;^(AD) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^{(AE) 36} And sitting down, they kept watch^(AF) over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him,^(AG) one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^{(AH) 40} and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^(AI) save yourself!^(AJ) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”^{(AK) 41} In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!^(AL) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe^(AM) in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him^(AN) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.