1Derefter gik Moses og Aron til Farao og sagde: „Vi har en besked til dig fra Jahve, Israels Gud. Han siger: Giv mit folk lov til at rejse, så de kan holde højtid for mig i ørkenen.”2„Hvem er Jahve?” svarede Farao. „Jeg kender ham ikke. Hvorfor skulle jeg adlyde ham og lade israelitterne rejse? Det vil jeg ikke gå med til.”3Men Moses og Aron blev ved: „Den Gud, som vi hebræere tilbeder, har mødt os,” erklærede de. „Giv os nu tilladelse til at rejse tre dagsrejser ud i ørkenen og ofre til vores Gud, Jahve, så han ikke rammer os med sygdom og død.”4„Hør nu, Moses og Aron!” råbte Farao. „Lad være med at lægge hindringer i vejen for folkets arbejde! Gå I hellere selv tilbage til jeres arbejde!5Hebræerne er jo nu meget talrige, og så vil I have, at de skal holde op med deres arbejde?”6Samme dag sendte Farao følgende besked til samtlige slavefogeder og opsynsmænd:7„I må ikke længere give folket halm til murstenene. Lad dem selv samle, hvad de har brug for.8Men de skal lave lige så mange mursten som før. De har åbenbart ikke nok at bestille, ellers ville de ikke snakke om at tage ud i ørkenen for at ofre til deres Gud.9De skal have mere arbejde, så de ikke har tid til at tænke på andet. Det skal nok afholde dem fra at høre på Moses’ og Arons løgnehistorier.”10Så gik slavefogederne og opsynsmændene ud til folket og sagde: „Farao har givet ordre til at standse leveringen af halm til arbejdet.11Fra nu af må I selv samle halm, hvor I kan finde det, men I skal stadig lave lige så mange mursten som I plejer.”12Så måtte folket rejse rundt i hele Egypten for at samle halm.13Slavefogederne var skånselsløse. „Den daglige kvote skal holdes!” forlangte de,14og de piskede de israelitiske formænd, når den ikke blev overholdt. „Hvorfor sørger I ikke for, at det daglige antal sten bliver produceret?” brølede de.15Så gik formændene til Farao. „Vær ikke så brutal mod dine slaver!” bad de.16„Vi får ingen halm, og alligevel skal vi producere det samme antal sten som før. Og vi bliver straffet for noget, vi ikke er skyld i. Det er dine slavefogeders skyld, fordi de forlanger noget helt urimeligt af os!”17Men Farao svarede bare: „I er dovne, er I! Det er klart, I ikke har nok at bestille, ellers ville I ikke blive ved med at sige: Lad os gå ud og ofre til Jahve.18Kan I se at komme tilbage til arbejdet! I får ingen halm, og I skal stadig producere det samme antal sten!”19De israelitiske formænd var nedslåede over at skulle fortælle arbejderne, at Farao ikke ville høre på dem og stadig krævede det samme: Ingen halm, samme antal sten.20På vej ud fra audiensen hos Farao mødte de Moses og Aron, som stod og ventede uden for paladset.21„Må Herren dømme jer, for det er jeres skyld, at Farao og hans slavepiskere hader os! Det ender med, at de tager livet af os med den umenneskelige behandling!”
Guds løfte om udfrielse
22Da vendte Moses sig til Herren og klagede sin nød: „Herre, hvordan kan du behandle dit folk på den måde? Og hvorfor har du sendt mig her?23Lige siden jeg gav Farao din besked, er hans brutalitet taget til, og du er ikke kommet dit folk til hjælp!”
English Standard Version
Making Bricks Without Straw
1Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”2But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”5And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many,* and you make them rest from their burdens!”6The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,7“You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.8But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’9Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”10So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.11Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’”12So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.13The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”14And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”15Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this?16No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”17But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’18Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”19The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”20They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh;21and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”22Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?23For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
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