Quotes About Oppression

Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”

So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.

But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.

But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”

Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”

That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen:

“You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.

But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ëLet us go and sacrifice to our God.í

Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”

So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: ëI am no longer giving you straw.

Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.í”

So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”

Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaohís taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”

So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?