Skeptic's Annotated Bible
5:1 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 unto me in the wilderness.
I don't think he's going to agree, since I think God is going to "harden is heart" as to ensure the suffering of the Egyptian people.
5:2 And 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.
5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert,
The Hebrews want to go to Burning Man.
and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
We're adding to the list of ways that God can kill people. We've seen floods, famine, brimstone already; now we add pestilence and "the sword," implying that God is going to physically wield a sword to kill them. Very odd.
And also, isn't this a lie? God never said this to Moses, that he'd kill the Hebrews with pestilence or the sword if they weren't allowed to go to the desert to pray (which, if he did, would be another psychotic misapplication of justice, by the way). Moses is a short-tempered murderer and a liar. Why is this okay?
So far I've thought that Moses intended to ask for freedom for all the Hebrews; but now it sounds like all he's asking is that they can have a few days off to go pray. Either they weren't very clear before, or Moses has scaled back his demands.
5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5:5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
The first labor strikes.
5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
5:7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
5:8 And 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.
5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard vain words.
5:10 And 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.
5:11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
Yup, sounds to me like his heart was hardened.
5:12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
5:13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
5:14 And 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?
5:15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
5:16 There 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.
5:17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.
We see here the early development of the persecution complex of the Hebrews and carries through to many Christians. They want to pray, so Pharaoh concludes that they must have too much time on their hands and makes their work harder. Those poor Hebrews, all they wanted to do was pray! Keep in mind this is fiction, not history; the story has an intended message, and it's one of persecution.
5:18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
5:19 And 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.
"Minish"? Shouldn't that be "diminish"?
5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor 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.
5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, LORD, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
5:23 For 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.
Moses apparently doesn't remember that God told him that this would happen, that Pharaoh would at first refuse. What did he think that meant?
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