| King James Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. | 1Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness." |
| 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. | 2But Pharaoh responded, "Who is the LORD that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don't know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go." |
| 3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. | 3They answered, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword." |
| 4And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. | 4The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you causing the people to neglect their work? Get to your labor!" |
| 5And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. | 5Pharaoh also said, "Look, the people of the land are so numerous, and you would stop them from their labor." |
| 6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, | 6That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the people as well as their foremen: |
| 7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. | 7"Don't continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves. |
| 8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. | 8But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers--that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' |
| 9Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. | 9Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words." |
| 10And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. | 10So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I am not giving you straw. |
| 11Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. | 11Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.'" |
| 12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. | 12So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. |
| 13And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. | 13The overseers insisted, "Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided." |
| 14And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? | 14Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, "Why haven't you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?" |
| 15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? | 15So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh: "Why are you treating your servants this way? |
| 16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. | 16No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault." |
| 17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. | 17But he said, "You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying, 'Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.' |
| 18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. | 18Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks." |
| 19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. | 19The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks." |
| 20And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: | 20When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them. |
| 21And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. | 21"May the LORD take note of you and judge," they said to them, "because you have made us reek to Pharaoh and his officials--putting a sword in their hand to kill us!" |
| 22And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? | 22So Moses went back to the LORD and asked, "Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? And why did you ever send me? |
| 23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. | 23Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in your name he has caused trouble for this people, and you haven't rescued your people at all." |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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