3. They answered, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don't, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war.”
6. That same day the king gave orders to his slave bosses and to the men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:
7. Don't give the slaves any more straw to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can,
8. but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God.
9. Make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen to these lies.
10. The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, “The king says he will not give you any more straw.
11. Go and find your own straw wherever you can, but you must still make as many bricks as before.”
12. The slaves went all over Egypt, looking for straw.