3. Then they said, "The Hebrews’ God has appeared to us. Let us go on a three-day journey into the desert so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. Otherwise, the Lord will give us a deadly disease or violence."
4. The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you making the people slack off from their work? Do the hard work yourselves!"
5. Pharaoh continued, "The land’s people are now numerous. Yet you want them to stop their hard work?"
6. On the very same day Pharaoh commanded the people’s slave masters and supervisors,
7. "Don’t supply the people with the straw they need to make bricks like you did before. Let them go out and gather the straw for themselves.
8. But still make sure that they produce the same number of bricks as they made before. Don’t reduce the number! They are weak and lazy, and that’s why they cry, ‘Let’s go and offer sacrifices to our God.’
9. Make the men’s work so hard that it’s all they can do, and they can’t focus on these empty lies."
10. So the people’s slave masters and supervisors came out and spoke to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says, ‘I’m not giving you straw anymore.
11. Go and get the straw on your own, wherever you can find it. But your work won’t be reduced at all.’"
12. So the people spread out all through the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13. The slave masters drove them hard and said, "Make sure you make the same daily quota as when you had the straw."
14. The Israelite supervisors, whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them, were also beaten and asked, "Why didn’t you produce the same number of bricks yesterday and today as you did before?"