2. Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I won’t let Israel go.”
3. They replied, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t go, he may kill us with a plague or a war.”
4. The king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their work? Get back to work!”
5. Then Pharaoh added, “Look how many people there are in the land! Do you want them to quit working?”
6. That same day Pharaoh gave these orders to the slave drivers and foremen:
7. “Don’t give the people any more straw to make bricks as you have been doing. Let them gather their own straw,