So they appointedtaskmastersoverthem to afflictthem with hardlabor.And they builtfor Pharaohstoragecities,Pithomand Raamses.
[God] saidto Abram,"Knowfor certainthat your descendantswill be strangersin a landthat is not theirs,where they will be enslavedand oppressedfourhundredyears.
So Josephsettledhis fatherand his brothersand gavethem a possessionin the landof Egypt,in the bestof the land,in the landof Rameses,as Pharaohhad ordered.
and allthe storagecitieswhichSolomonhad,even the citiesfor his chariotsand the citiesfor his horsemen,and allthat it pleasedSolomonto buildin Jerusalem,in Lebanon,and in allthe landunder his rule.
So Ben-hadadlistenedto KingAsaand sentthe commandersof his armiesagainstthe citiesof Israel,and they conqueredIjon,Dan,Abel-maimand allthe storecitiesof Naphtali.
He builtTadmorin the wildernessand allthe storagecitieswhichhe had builtin Hamath.
And they wanderedabout from nationto nation,From [one] kingdomto anotherpeople.
"Manytimesthey have persecutedme from my youthup," Let Israelnowsay,
"Manytimesthey have persecutedme from my youthup; Yetthey have not prevailedagainst me.
Whenyou liedownamongthe sheepfolds,[You are like] the wingsof a dovecoveredwith silver,And its pinionswith glisteninggold.
"I relievedhis shoulderof the burden,His handswere freedfrom the basket.
and they madetheir livesbitterwith hardlaborin mortarand bricksand at all[kinds] of laborin the field,alltheir laborswhichthey rigorouslyimposedon them.
Now it cameabout in thosedays,when Moseshad grownup, that he wentout to his brethrenand lookedon their hardlabors;and he sawan Egyptianbeatinga Hebrew,oneof his brethren.
The LORDsaid,"I have surelyseenthe afflictionof My peoplewhoare in Egypt,and have givenheedto their crybecauseof their taskmasters,for I am awareof their sufferings.
So the taskmastersof the peopleand their foremenwentout and spoketo the people,saying,"ThussaysPharaoh,'I am not going to giveyou [any] straw.
Then the foremenof the sonsof Israelcameand criedout to Pharaoh,saying,"Whydo you dealthiswaywith your servants?
"But the quotaof brickswhichthey were makingpreviously,you shall imposeon them; you are not to reduceanyof it. Becausethey are lazy,thereforethey cryout, 'Let us goand sacrificeto our God.'
Wrathis fierceand angeris a flood,But whocan standbeforejealousy?
that our fatherswentdownto Egypt,and we stayedin Egypta longtime,and the Egyptianstreatedus and our fathersbadly.
And the Egyptianstreatedus harshlyand afflictedus, and imposedhardlaboron us.
