Shemot PBL Unit 2 Lesson 1 Moses & Aaron Freeing Israelites - Attempt #1 (Tyler & Jorge)

יי said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed him. Moses told Aaron about all the things that יי had committed to him and all the signs about which he had been instructed. Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron repeated all the words that יי had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of those assembled, and the assembly was convinced. When they heard that יי had taken note of the Israelites and that had seen their plight, they bowed low in homage.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says יי, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness.” But Pharaoh said, “Who is יי that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know יי, nor will I let Israel go.” They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has become manifest to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to our God יי, lest [God] strike us with pestilence or sword.”

But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you distract the people from their tasks? Get to your labors!” And Pharaoh continued, “The people of the land are already so numerous, and you would have them cease from their labors!” That same day Pharaoh charged the taskmasters and overseers of the people, saying, “You shall no longer provide the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But impose upon them the same quota of bricks as they have been making, for they are shirkers; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God!’ ... Then the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “You must complete the same work assignment each day as when you had straw.” And the overseers of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten. “Why,” they were asked, “did you not complete the prescribed amount of bricks, either yesterday or today, as you did before?”

Then the overseers of the Israelites came to Pharaoh and cried: “Why do you deal thus with your servants? No straw is issued to your servants, yet they demand of us: Make bricks! Thus your servants are being beaten, when the fault is with your own people.” He replied, “You are shirkers, shirkers! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to יי. Be off now to your work! No straw shall be issued to you, but you must produce your quota of bricks!” Now the overseers of the Israelites found themselves in trouble because of the order, “You must not reduce your daily quantity of bricks.” As they left Pharaoh’s presence, they came upon Moses and Aaron standing in their path, and they said to them, “May יי look upon you and punish you for making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his courtiers—putting a sword in their hands to slay us.” Then Moses returned to יי and said, “O my lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people.”