Exodus 5

¹Aftir these thingis Moises and Aaron entriden, and seiden to Farao, The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Delyuere thou my puple, that it make sacrifice to me in deseert.

²And he answeride, Who is the Lord, that Y here his vois, and delyuere Israel? I knowe not the Lord, and Y schal not delyuere Israel.

³Thei seiden, God of Ebrews clepide vs, that we go the weie of thre daies in to wildirnesse, and that we make sacrifice to oure Lord God, lest perauenture pestilence, ether swerd, bifalle to vs.

⁴The kyng of Egipt seide to hem, Moises and Aaron, whi stiren ye the puple fro her werkis? Go ye to youre chargis.

⁵And Farao seide, The puple of the loond is myche; ye seen that the cumpany hath encreessid; hou myche more schal it encreesse, if ye schulen yyue to hem reste fro werkis.

⁶Therfor Farao comaundide in that dai to the maistris of werkis, and to rente gadereris of the puple,

⁷and seide, Ye schulen no more yyue stre to the puple, to make tijl stoonys as bifore; but go thei, and gedere stobil;

⁸and ye schulen sette on hem the mesure of tijl stoonys, which thei maden bifore, nether ye schulen abate ony thing; for thei ben idil, and therfor thei crien, and seien, Go we, and make we sacrifice to oure God;

⁹be thei oppressid bi werkis, and fille thei tho, that thei assente not to the false wordis.

¹⁰Therfor the maistris of the workis and the rente gadereris yeden out to the puple, and seiden, Thus seith Farao, Y yyue not to you stre;

¹¹go ye, and gadere, if ye moun fynde ony where; nether ony thing schal be decreessid of youre werk.

¹²And the puple was scaterid bi al the lond of Egipt to gadre stre.

¹³And the maystris of werkis weren bisi, and seiden, Fille ye youre werk ech dai, as ye weren wont to do, whanne the stre was youun to you.

¹⁴And thei, that weren maistris of the werkis of the sones of Israel, weren betun of the rent gadereris of Farao, that seiden, Whi filliden ye not the mesure of tijl stoonus, as bifore, nether yistirdai nethir to dai?

¹⁵And the souereyns of the sonys of Israel camen, and crieden to Farao, and seiden, Whi doist thou so ayens thi seruauntis?

¹⁶Stre is not youun to vs, and tijl stoonus ben comaundid in lijk manere. Lo! we thi seruauntis ben betun with scourgis, and it is doon vniustli ayens thi puple.

¹⁷Farao seide, Ye yyuen tent to idilnesse, and therfor ye seien, Go we, and make we sacrifice to the Lord;

¹⁸therfor go ye, and worche; stre schal not be youun to you, and ye schulen yelde the customable noumbre of tijl stoonus.

¹⁹And the souereyns of the children of Israel sien hem silf in yuel, for it was seid to hem, No thing schal be decreessid of tijl stoonus bi alle daies.

²⁰And thei `camen to Moises and Aaron, that stoden euene ayens, and thei `yeden out fro Farao,

²¹and seiden to `Moises and Aaron, The Lord se, and deme, for ye han maad oure odour to stynke bifore Farao and hise seruauntis; and ye han youe to hym a swerd, that he schulde sle vs.

²²And Moises turnede ayen to the Lord, and seide, Lord, whi hast thou turmentid this puple? why sentist thou me?

²³For sithen Y entride to Farao, that Y schulde speke in thi name, thou hast turmentid thi puple, and hast not delyuered hem.

Exodus 5

¹And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

²And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

³And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

⁴And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

⁵And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

⁶And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

⁷Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

⁸And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

⁹Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

¹⁰And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

¹¹Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

¹³And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

¹⁴And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

¹⁶There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

¹⁷But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

¹⁸Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

¹⁹And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

²⁰And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

²¹And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

²²And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.