Moses and Aaron Visit Pharaoh

For more detail, search Exodus 5.

Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh after talking to the children of Israel and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1). "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" (Exodus 5:2). "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 unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword" (Exodus 5:3).

Pharaoh felt that since the children of Israel wanted to sacrifice to God they did not have enough work to do; therefore, he increased their workload by having them to collect their own straw for making bricks and expected the same output from them (Exodus 5:7,8). There were taskmasters and their officers overseeing the work. "And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw" (Exodus 5:13).

Two days passed and the expected output was not delivered by the people. As a result, the officers were beaten and demanded to answer why the task was not fulfilled (Exodus 5:14). In turn, the officers went to the Pharaoh and asked him why he dealt with them as his servants (Exodus 5:15). The officers explained, "There is no straw given unto they servants, and they say to us Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people" (Exodus 5:16).

"But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord" (Exodus 5:17).

"Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks" (Exodus 5:18).

"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" (Exodus 5:19).

"And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh" (Exodus 5:20):

"And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge: because ye have made our savour 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" (Exodus 5:21).

"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" (Exodus 5:22)?

"For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in they name, he hath done evil to this people: neither hast thou delivered thy people at all" (Exodus 5:23).