Exodus 4:27-6:13

Amplified Bible

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God (Sinai) and kissed him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went [into Egypt] and assembled all the elders of the Israelites; ³⁰ and Aaron said all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then Moses performed the signs [given to him by God] before the people. ³¹ So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the Israelites and that He had looked [with compassion] on their suffering, then they bowed their heads and worshiped [the Lord].

Israel’s Labor Increased

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” ² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” ³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go on a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that He does not discipline us with pestilence or with the sword.” ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to Moses and Aaron, “Why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens!” ⁵ Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them stop their work!” ⁶ The very same day Pharaoh gave orders to the [Egyptian] taskmasters in charge of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen, saying, ⁷ “You will no longer give the people ^[a]straw to make brick as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks which they were making before, you shall [still] require of them; you are not to reduce it in the least. For they are idle and lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God’s] lying words.”

¹⁰ Then the [Egyptian] taskmasters [in charge] of the people and their [Hebrew] foremen went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you any straw. ¹¹ Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work [quota] will not be reduced in the least.’” ¹² So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ And the taskmasters pressured them, saying, “Finish your work, [fulfill] your daily quotas, just as when there was straw [given to you].” ¹⁴ And the Hebrew foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your required quota of making bricks yesterday and today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Hebrew foremen came to Pharaoh and cried, “Why do you deal like this with your servants? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of your own people.” ¹⁷ But Pharaoh said, “You are lazy, very lazy and idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Get out now and get to work; for no straw will be given to you, yet you are to deliver the same quota of bricks.” ¹⁹ The Hebrew foremen saw that they were in a bad situation because they were told, “You must not reduce [in the least] your daily quota of bricks.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh’s presence, the foremen met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. ²¹ And the foremen said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have made us odious (something hated) in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

²² Then Moses turned again to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm and oppression to this people? Why did You ever send me? [I cannot understand Your purpose!] ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed and oppressed this people, and You have done nothing at all to rescue Your people.”

God Promises Action

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for ^[b]under compulsion he will [not only] let them go, but under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

² Then God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.^{(A) 3} I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (Israel) as God Almighty [El Shaddai], but by My ^[c]name, ^[d]Lord, I did not make Myself known to them [in acts and great miracles].^{(B) 4} I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as strangers (temporary residents, foreigners).^{(C) 5} And I have also heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have [faithfully] remembered My covenant [with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob]. ⁶ Therefore, say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you from their bondage. I will redeem and rescue you with an outstretched (vigorous, powerful) arm and with great acts of judgment [against Egypt]. ⁷ Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who redeemed you and brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you to the land which I ^[e]swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel); and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord [you have the promise of My changeless omnipotence and faithfulness].’” ⁹ Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their ^[f]impatience and despondency, and because of their forced labor.

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “Look, [my own people] the Israelites have not listened to me; so how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am ^[g]unskilled and inept in speech?” ¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command concerning the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.