1. After these things, Moses and Aaron entered, and they said to Pharaoh: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Release my people, so that they may sacrifice to me in the desert."
2. But he responded: "Who is the Lord, that I should listen to his voice and release Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel."
3. And they said: "The God of the Hebrews has called us, so that we may go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God. Otherwise, a pestilence or the sword may befall us."
4. The king of Egypt said to them: "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract the people from their works? Go back to your burdens."
5. And Pharaoh said: "The people of the land are many. You see that the turmoil has increased: how much more if you give them rest from the works?"
6. Therefore, on the same day, he instructed the overseers of the works, and the taskmasters of the people, saying:
7. "You shall no longer give chaff to the people to form bricks, as before. But they may go and gather straw.
8. And you shall impose upon them the same quota of bricks that they made before. Neither will you lessen anything, for they are idle, and therefore they cry out, saying: 'We shall go and sacrifice to our God.'
9. They shall be oppressed with works, and these shall occupy them, so that they may not agree to lying words."
10. And so the overseers of the works and the taskmasters went out and said to the people: "Thus says Pharaoh: I give you no chaff.