Study Desk

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service in which they made them serve, [was] with rigor.

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women: for they [are] lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in to them.

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew [water], and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How [is it that] you are come so soon to day?

And they said, An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and also drew [water] enough for us, and watered the flock.

And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry ascended to God, by reason of the bondage.

And Moses said to God, Behold, [when] I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers hath sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? What shall I say to them?

And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and ye shall say to him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go (we beseech thee) three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared to thee.

That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] upon the dry [land]: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land].

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren who [are] in Egypt, and see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads, and worshiped.

And 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 to me in the wilderness.

And 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 to the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

And the number of the bricks which they made heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish [aught] thereof; for they are idle: therefore they cry, saying, Let us go [and] sacrifice to our God.

Let more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein: and let them not regard vain words.

And the task-masters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

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