Bible in Basic English
"Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?"
— Exodus 5:15, Bible in Basic English
So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.
And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.
And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?
Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?
They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.
But he said, You have no love for work: that is why you say, Let us go and make an offering to the Lord.
Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.