Isaiah 30:6

¹⁵who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with venomous snakes and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who poured water for you out of the rock of flint;

¹Bel bows down. Nebo stoops. Their idols are carried by animals, and on the livestock. The things that you carried around are heavy loads, a burden for the weary. ²They stoop and they bow down together. They could not deliver the burden, but they have gone into captivity.

²⁰But the LORD has taken you, and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of inheritance, as it is today.

⁴which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace,’ saying, ‘Obey my voice and do them, according to all which I command you; so you shall be my people, and I will be your God;

⁹For they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has hired lovers for himself. ¹⁰But although they sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them; and they begin to waste away because of the oppression of the king of mighty ones.

²She came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.

¹When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great caravan, including camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. When she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.

¹⁰The taskmasters of the people went out with their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.’” ¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³The taskmasters were urgent saying, “Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!” ¹⁴The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?”

¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? ¹⁶No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”

¹⁷But Pharaoh said, “You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let’s go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ ¹⁸Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!”

¹⁹The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when it was said, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”

²⁰They met Moses and Aaron, who stood along the way, as they came out from Pharaoh. ²¹They said to them, “May the LORD look at you and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”

⁷Therefore they will carry away the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have stored up, over the brook of the willows.

⁴I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, GOD ^[+] of Armies.