Exodus 5
The Voice
5 Not long after, Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh.
Moses and Aaron: The Eternal, Israel’s God, has a message for you: “Release My people, so that they may go and celebrate a feast in My honor in the desert.”
Pharaoh: 2 And who is this god you call “the Eternal One” that I should heed His message and release His people Israel? I do not know any god by that name, and furthermore I do not intend to release Israel.
Moses and Aaron: 3 The God of the Hebrews has visited us. We ask that you allow us to travel three days’ distance into the desert to sacrifice to the Eternal our God. Otherwise, He may become angry and come after us with disease or sword.
Pharaoh: 4 Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting people from their work? Stop wasting time, and get back to your labor!
5 Look, there are vast numbers of people in this land who should be working; instead they are all idle because of you.
6 That same day, Pharaoh gave instructions to the slave drivers who were over the people and their supervisors.
Pharaoh: 7 Don’t supply the people with any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them go out and find their own straw. 8 But I still want you to expect the same number of bricks from them as before. Even though the task will be harder, do not lessen their load! They are lazy and are asking for time off, saying, “Release us so that we can go sacrifice to our God in the desert and feast in His honor.” 9 Therefore, make the work so heavy that the men don’t have the energy to do anything but work; perhaps then they won’t be distracted by these lies!
Slave Drivers and Supervisors (to the people): 10 Pharaoh has a message for you: “I am not going to supply you with any more straw. 11 You must go out and get it for yourselves—wherever you can find it—but you must produce the same number of bricks as before. Your workload will not be reduced.”
12 The people quickly and desperately spread out across the land of Egypt looking for dry stalks of grain to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers pushed them hard.
Slave Drivers: Hurry, you must meet your quotas. You must produce the same number of bricks as you did before when we provided you with straw.
14 Plus they beat and interrogated the supervisors of the Israelites, the Hebrews whom the slave drivers had appointed over the workers.
Slave Drivers: Why are you lagging behind? Why haven’t you met your quotas of bricks yesterday or today as you did before?
15 The supervisors of the Israelites were unable to meet the demands and so they appealed to Pharaoh.
Supervisors (pleading with Pharaoh): Why are you treating your servants this way? 16 No more straw is being provided to your servants, yet the slave drivers keep yelling at us, “Make bricks!” And then your servants are beaten; it is your people who are at fault here, not us.
Pharaoh: 17 No. It is you. You are lazy! You are all so very lazy! You try to escape your work by making up excuses, saying, “Please release us so that we may go sacrifice to the Eternal.” 18 Leave me now, and get back to work, you indolent whiners! You will not be provided any straw, and you must make the same number of bricks as before.
19 The supervisors of the Israelites knew they were in deep trouble when they were told, “You are not to lessen the workload. You must still make the same number of bricks every day as you did before.” 20 After the supervisors left Pharaoh, they went directly to Moses and Aaron who were already waiting for them.
Supervisors (to Moses and Aaron): 21 May the Eternal see and judge what you have done. Now because of you Pharaoh and all who serve him look on us as if we were some kind of disgusting odor. You might as well have put the sword in their hands they will use to kill us.
22 Moses went back to meet with the Eternal One.
Moses: Eternal, these are Your people. Why have You brought so much trouble on them? And why have You sent me here? 23 Ever since I approached Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done more harm to them than ever before. And You have done absolutely nothing to rescue Your people.
Exodus 5
English Standard Version
Making Bricks Without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold (A)a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, (B)“Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, (C)I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The (D)God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your (E)burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, (F)the people of the land are now many,[a] and you make them rest from their burdens!” 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the (G)taskmasters of the people and their (H)foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
10 So the (I)taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The (J)taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's (K)taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and (L)they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 5:5 Samaritan they are now more numerous than the people of the land
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
