![]() ![]() There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt-worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. At the end of the Tenth plague, the death of all the first-born, the Jews were forced out of Egypt: “So Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Moses and his brother Aaron in front of Pharaoh-1854 engraving Death of Firstborn-Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,1836-1912 But Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let his free labor force go. God sent them a man, Moses, who would lead them out of slavery and into The Promised Land. The Hebrews had been in slavery in Egypt for four hundred years. The hieroglyphs on this wall painting read: “captives whom his majesty brought for the works of the temple of Amon” and “the taskmaster says to the builders: ‘The rod is in my hand be not idle.’” Other Egyptian texts mention brick quotas and a lack of straw, just as Exodus 5 does. ![]() Top shows the original bottom shows a reproduction. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, ‘Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.’ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, ‘Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?’” Exodus 5:1,2 6-14 Wall relief showing Semitic laborers in Egypt making bricks with clay and straw (15th Century BC). Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. They are lazy that is why they are crying out, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.’ Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, ‘This is what Pharaoh says: I will not give you any more straw. ![]() “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go’….That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before don’t reduce the quota. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |