First Encounter with Pharaoh

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may ^[a]hold ^(A)a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”

² And Pharaoh said, ^(B)“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, ^(C)nor will I let Israel go.”

³ So they said, ^(D)“The God of the Hebrews has ^(E)met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with ^(F)pestilence or with the sword.”

⁴ Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your ^(G)labor.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are ^(H)many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”

⁶ So the same day Pharaoh commanded the ^(I)taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make ^(J)brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”

¹⁰ And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹ Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” ¹² So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. ¹³ And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” ¹⁴ Also the ^(K)officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were ^(L)beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? ¹⁶ There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”

¹⁷ But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” ¹⁹ And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”

²⁰ Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. ^21 (M)And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made ^[b]us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Israel’s Deliverance Assured^(N)

²² So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

Jesus Faces Pilate^(A)

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor. ^(B)And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, ^(C)“It is as you say.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(D)He answered nothing.

¹³ Then Pilate said to Him, ^(E)“Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” ¹⁴ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(F)

^15 (G)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. ¹⁶ And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called ^[a]Barabbas. ¹⁷ Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of ^(H)envy.

¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

^20 (I)But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, ^(J)“Barabbas!”

²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

²³ Then the governor said, ^(K)“Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a ^[b]tumult was rising, he ^(L)took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this ^[c]just Person. You see to it.”

²⁵ And all the people answered and said, ^(M)“His blood be on us and on our children.”

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when ^(N)he had ^[d]scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(O)

^27 (P)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^[e]Praetorium and gathered the whole ^[f]garrison around Him. ²⁸ And they ^(Q)stripped Him and ^(R)put a scarlet robe on Him. ^29 (S)When they had ^[g]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ Then ^(T)they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, ^(U)and led Him away to be crucified.

The King on a Cross^(V)

^32 (W)Now as they came out, ^(X)they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. ^33 (Y)And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, ^34 (Z)they gave Him ^[h]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

^35 (AA)Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, ^[i]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

^36 (AC)Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. ³⁷ And they ^(AD)put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

^38 (AE)Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

³⁹ And ^(AF)those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, ^(AG)“You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! ^(AH)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the ^[j]scribes and elders, said, ⁴² “He ^(AI)saved others; Himself He cannot save. ^[k]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe ^[l]Him. ^43 (AJ)He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

^44 (AK)Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.