5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded ¹⁵  the slave masters and foremen ¹⁶  who were ¹⁷  over the people: ¹⁸  5:7 “You must no longer ¹⁹  give straw to the people for making bricks ²⁰  as before. ²¹  Let them go ²²  and collect straw for themselves. 5:8 But you must require ²³  of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. ²⁴  Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. ²⁵  That is why they are crying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’ 5:9 Make the work harder ²⁶  for the men so they will keep at it ²⁷  and pay no attention to lying words!” ²⁸ 

5:10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said, ²⁹  “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I am not giving ³⁰  you straw. 5:11 You ³¹  go get straw for yourselves wherever you can ³²  find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’” 5:12 So the people spread out ³³  through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw. 5:13 The slave masters were pressuring ³⁴  them, saying, “Complete ³⁵  your work for each day, just like when there was straw!” 5:14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked, ³⁶  “Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past – both yesterday and today?” ³⁷ 

5:17 But Pharaoh replied, ⁴³  “You are slackers! Slackers! ⁴⁴  That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’ 5:18 So now, get back to work! ⁴⁵  You will not be given straw, but you must still produce ⁴⁶  your quota ⁴⁷  of bricks!” 5:19 The Israelite foremen saw ⁴⁸  that they ⁴⁹  were in trouble when they were told, ⁵⁰  “You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”

5:20 When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them, ⁵¹  5:21 and they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge, ⁵²  because you have made us stink ⁵³  in the opinion of ⁵⁴  Pharaoh and his servants, ⁵⁵  so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!” ⁵⁶