Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to let the Israelites worship in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses, dismisses their god, and punishes them by demanding full brick quotas without straw. Moses then cries out to God asking why he's allowed this suffering.
Chapters
Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so they may hold a festival in the wilderness.'" Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and I will not let Israel go." Uh-oh. I'm sure they didn't expect Pharaoh to worship Yahweh, but the momentum was with them, and they expected him to at least let them go have their festival. But Pharaoh says no. So Moses and Aaron repeat their demands. Pharaoh is not impressed. So they do it again. Then Pharaoh realizes what the problem was. Verse 17: Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are, lazy! That's why you keep saying, 'Let us go out and sacrifice to Yahweh.' Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, and you must produce a full quota of bricks." Ouch. And that's exactly what happened. Guess how happy the Israelites are now? Production 100, happiness 0. Read verse 22. Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
