15. Then the foremen of the Bnei Yisroel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Why dealest thou thus with thy avadim?
16. There is no straw given unto thy avadim, and they say to us, Make brick. And, hinei, thy avadim are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.
17. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to Hashem.
18. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tokhen (full measure) of bricks.
19. And the foremen of the Bnei Yisroel did see that they were in rah (trouble), after it was said, Ye shall not reduce ought from your bricks of your daily task.
20. And they went to meet Moshe and Aharon, who stood waiting to meet them, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21. And they said unto them, Hashem look upon you, and judge; because ye have made us stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his avadim, to put a cherev in their yad to slay us.
22. And Moshe returned unto Hashem, and said, Adonoi, why hast Thou brought evil upon this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me?
23. For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy Shem, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.