Quotes About Labor

Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages.

Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!

Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.

During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

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.

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.

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.

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?”

No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ëMake bricks!í Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

Now get to work. You will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”

The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,