Moses and Aaron before the King of Egypt
1 Then Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can hold a festival in the desert to honor me.’”
2 “Who is the Lord?” the king demanded. “Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord; and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Moses and Aaron replied, “The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us. Allow us to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don't do so, he will kill us with disease or by war.”
4 The king said to Moses and Aaron, “What do you mean by making the people neglect their work? Get those slaves back to work! 5 You people have become more numerous than the Egyptians. And now you want to stop working!”
6 That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: 7 “Stop giving the people straw for making bricks. Make them go and find it for themselves. 8 But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before, not one brick less. They don't have enough work to do, and that is why they keep asking me to let them go and offer sacrifices to their God! 9 Make them work harder and keep them busy, so that they won't have time to listen to a pack of lies.”
10 The slave drivers and the Israelite foremen went out and said to the Israelites, “The king has said that he will not supply you with any more straw. 11 He says that you must go and get it for yourselves wherever you can find it, but you must still make the same number of bricks.” 12 So the people went all over Egypt looking for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept trying to force them to make the same number of bricks every day as they had made when they were given straw. 14 The Egyptian slave drivers beat the Israelite foremen, whom they had put in charge of the work. They demanded, “Why aren't you people making the same number of bricks that you made before?”
15 Then the foremen went to the king and complained, “Why do you do this to us, Your Majesty? 16 We are given no straw, but we are still ordered to make bricks! And now we are being beaten. It is your people that are at fault.”
17 The king answered, “You are lazy and don't want to work, and that is why you ask me to let you go and offer sacrifices to the Lord. 18 Now get back to work! You will not be given any straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen realized that they were in trouble when they were told that they had to make the same number of bricks every day as they had made before.
20 As they were leaving, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21 They said to Moses and Aaron, “The Lord has seen what you have done and will punish you for making the king and his officers hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”
Moses Complains to the Lord
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord again and said, “Lord, why do you mistreat your people? Why did you send me here? 23 Ever since I went to the king to speak for you, he has treated them cruelly. And you have done nothing to help them!”
Moses naAron koshipala shaFarao
1 Ndele Moses naAron ova ya kuFarao ndele tava ti kuye: “Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael ta ti ngaha: ‘Lekela oshiwana shange, shi ka ningile nge oshivilo mombuwa.’ ”
2 Ndelenee Farao ta nyamukula: “Omwene olyelye, ame ndi pwilikine ondaka yaye ndi lekele Israel? Omwene ou kandi mu shii noitandi ka lekela Israel a dje mo.” 3 Vo otava ti: “Kalunga kOvaheberi okwe tu shakeneka. Tu lekela hano, tu ka ye mondjila yomafiku atatu, tu ka yambele Omwene Kalunga ketu mombuwa, opo ehe tu dipaife oudu wolutapo ile eongamukonda.” 4 Ndelenee ohamba yaEgipiti ye va nyamukula, tai ti: “Moses naAron, omolwashike tamu kelele ovanhu va longe oilonga yavo? Indeni mu ka longe! 5 Farao okwa tile vali: Taleni, ovanhu vomoshilongo ovahapu nokuli, ndele mwa hala va fe oilonga yavo?”
6 Mefiku tuu olo Farao okwa lombwela ovafininiki vomovanhu novapashukili voilonga, ndele ta ti: 7 “Ovanhu inamu va pa vali omwiidi mokufoloma eedopi ngaashi shito. Ovo vene nave ke liongelele omwiidi. 8 Ndelenee eedopi di fike pwaadinya donghela nodongheleinya mu noku di pula kuvo. Inamu ninipalifa omuvalu wado. Osheshi vo ovandede. Onghee hava ingida tava ti: ‘Tu ka ningile Kalunga ketu exwikilo!’ 9 Oshilonga nashi ninge shidjuu shili kovalumenhu, opo va kale mokulonga, vaha pwilikine eendjovo doipupulu.” 10 Opo nee ovafininiki vovanhu novapashukili va pita mo ndele va lombwela ovanhu ndele tava ti: “Farao osho ta ti: ‘Itandi mu pe omwiidi nande. 11 Indeni nye vene mu ka tale ko omwiidi keshe apa tau monika. Ndele oilonga yeni itai shuna monima.’ ” 12 Opo nee ovanhu va endaenda moshilongo ashishe shaEgipiti va ka ongele oimbodi ponhele yomwiidi. 13 Novafininiki va fininika ndele tava ti: “Wanifeni oshilonga sheni keshe efiku naanaa ngaashi mefimbo linya pa li omwiidi.” 14 Hano ovalongifi venya Ovaisraeli va dengwa kovafininiki ava va tulwa po kuFarao, ndele tava ti: “Oshike hano inamu wanifa oilonga yeni onghela nonena, ngaashi shito, mu wanife omuvalu weedopi ngaashi mwa lombwelwa?”
15 Onghee hano ovapashukili Ovaisraeli va ya nova kemena Farao ndele va pulwa: “Omolwashike ove ho ningile ngaha novapiya voye? 16 Osheshi ovapiya voye itava pewa omwiidi, naavenya tava ti kufye: ‘Folomeni eedopi!’ Ndele tala, ovapiya voye tava dengwa, ndelenee oushima u li movanhu voye.” 17 Ndelenee ye okwa nyamukula ta ti: “Onye ovandede, heeno, ovandede. Onghee tamu ti: ‘Tu lekela tu ka ningile Omwene exwikilo.’ 18 Hano paife eshi indeni ashike mu ka longe. Ndelenee itamu pewa omwiidi. Ndelenee wanifeni omuvalu weedopi naanaa.” 19 Opo nee ovapashukili Ovaisraeli ove liwete vo nhumbi ve li moudjuu, eshi pa lombwelwa: “Nye mu nokuwanifa eedopi deni keshe efiku omuvalu wado; omuvalu itau shunifwa monima.” 20 Ndele ve uya kuMoses naAron ava va li ko ofika ve va shakeneke venya eshi va dja kuFarao, 21 ndele vo ove va lombwela: “Omwene ne mu kwatele onghone noku mu tokola, eshi nye mwe tu tondifa momesho aFarao nomomesho ovapiya vaye, osheshi mwa yandja meke lavo eongamukonda vo ve tu dipae.”
22 Opo nee Moses okwa ya vali kOmwene ndele ta ti: “Omwene, omolwashike wa ningila oshiwana eshi owii? Omolwashike Ove wa tuma nge oku?
23 “Osheshi okefimbo tuu linya nda ya kuFarao ndi popye medina loye, ye okwa hepeka oshiwana eshi, naave ino xupifa oshiwana shoye.”
