So the Egyptian slave masters and the Hebrew [45] foremen went to the people of Israel and said, “Pharaoh has decided that he will not give you straw for your bricks.
The Egyptian people decided to make life hard for the people of Israel. So the Egyptians put slave masters over the people. These masters forced the Israelites to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses for the king. The king used these cities to store grain and other things.
Then the Lord said, “I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt. And I have heard their cries when the Egyptians hurt them. I know about their pain.