Exodus · Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 5 Berean Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
3 “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!”
5 Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”
5 Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.”
6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen:
6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
7 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.
7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
8 You shall require from them the number of the bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to our God.’
9 Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
9 Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it. Don’t let them pay any attention to lying words.”
10 So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am no longer giving you straw.
10 The taskmasters of the people went out with their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw.
11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’”
11 Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.’”
12 So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”
13 The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!”
14 Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”
14 The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”
15 So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16 No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
16 No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
17 “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
17 But Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to Yahweh.’
18 Now get to work. You will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”
18 Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!”
19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”
19 The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”
20 When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
20 They met Moses and Aaron, who stood along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh.
21 “May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
21 They said to them, “May Yahweh look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”
22 So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?
22 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?
23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people. You have not rescued your people at all!”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Aaron
Moses' brother and spokesman, Israel's first high priest.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 4–40; Leviticus 8–10
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (19)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Exodus 10:9; Acts 4:29; 1 Corinthians 5:8; Ezekiel 2:6; Matthew 10:28
- 2 Exodus 3:19; Job 21:15; 2 Kings 18:35; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Romans 1:28
- 3 Exodus 3:18; 2 Kings 17:25; 2 Chronicles 30:8; Deuteronomy 28:21; Zechariah 14:16–19
- 4 Exodus 1:11; Amos 7:10; Acts 24:5; Luke 23:2; Jeremiah 38:4
- 5 Proverbs 14:28; Exodus 1:7–11
- 6 Exodus 5:19; Exodus 5:10; Joshua 8:33; 2 Chronicles 26:11; Joshua 24:4
- 7 Genesis 24:25; Judges 19:19
- 8 Psalm 106:41
- 9 Ephesians 5:6; Malachi 3:14; Zechariah 1:6; 2 Kings 18:20; Job 16:3
- 10 Exodus 1:11; Proverbs 29:12; Exodus 3:7
- 11 Exodus 5:13–14
- 12 Obadiah 18; Nahum 1:10; Exodus 15:7; 1 Corinthians 3:12; Joel 2:5
- 14 Isaiah 10:24
- 17 Exodus 5:8; John 6:27; Matthew 26:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10–11
- 18 Daniel 2:9–13; Ezekiel 18:18
- 19 Ecclesiastes 5:8; Ecclesiastes 4:1; Deuteronomy 32:36
- 21 Genesis 34:30; 2 Samuel 10:6; Exodus 6:9; Genesis 16:5; 1 Samuel 27:12
- 22 Jeremiah 20:7; 1 Kings 19:10; Numbers 11:14–15; 1 Kings 19:4; Numbers 11:11
- 23 Jeremiah 11:21; Psalm 118:26; Hebrews 10:36–37; Isaiah 26:17–18; Isaiah 28:16
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
This abased Pharaoh. For, "I know not," he saith, "the Lord," and he became inferior to flies and frogs, and the locusts, and after that with his very arms and horses was he drowned in the sea.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)