Exodus 5

Making Bricks Without Straw

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may 1 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 2 us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

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."

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 3:18
    "Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'
    Exodus 7:16
    And you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
    Exodus 10:9
    And Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.
  2. Cross References
    2 Kings 18:35
    'Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?'"
    2 Chronicles 32:14
    Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
    Job 21:15
    Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 3:19
    But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
    Exodus 7:14
    So the LORD said to Moses: "Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 3:18
    "Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'
    Exodus 7:16
    And you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 4:24
    And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.
    Numbers 23:3
    Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a desolate height.
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 9:15
    Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 1:11
    Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
    Exodus 2:11
    Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
    Exodus 6:6
    Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 1:7
    But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
    Exodus 1:9
    And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 1:11
    Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
    Exodus 3:7
    And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
    Exodus 5:10
    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.
    Exodus 5:13
    And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, "Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.
    Exodus 5:14
    Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 1:14
    And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage - in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 5:6
    So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:24
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt.
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 6:9
    So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
    Exodus 14:11
    Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
    Exodus 15:24
    And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?
    Exodus 16:2
    Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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