The Walk of The Israelites

Chapter 3

Note from Author: This is based off Exodus 5

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Chapter three

"Pharaoh will see you now," said the guard at the door.

I nodded an acknowledgement to him as my brother and I walked into the room of Pharaoh. As the tall and wide door split open, I was struck at how beautiful the room was.

The room that we were now walking into was close to fifteen cubits tall and about fifty cubits wide and long. Four thick, golden pillars held the ceiling up from caving in and painted on all of the walls, as well as the ceiling, were important moments in Egyptian history.

Two narrow streams ran through both sides of the room, crystal clear, from the water of the Nile. At the far end of the room on what looked like the base of a miniature pyramid, without the pointed tip, sat the golden chair in which Pharaoh sat on his padded seat. In front of him were a half of dozen dancers giving their very best to please him, as he sat there eating grapes.

The guard, not so gently, tapped me with his spear, telling me to walk in and stop staring.

"Pharaoh," said the other guard that was keeping watch over the other side of the door, "this is-"

"Moses." Ramses the second interrupted him. He tossed what was left of his grapes on the floor and with a subtle wave of his hand, ushered the dancers out, as well as the guards watching.

"Moses!" he called to me. "What brings you here after forty years?"

"P-Pharaoh, I have come t-to-" I stuttered.

"Come here so I can hear you." he interrupted yet again.

I walked to his side where he had asked me to come. I stood next to his throne chair as he told Aaron to stay where he was.

"I have missed you Moses." He said in a tone that sounded like he did, but barely. "I was surprised when father told me what happened."

Hey waved his hand in the air again as if pushing the subject out of his mind.

"That's all in the past." he continued. "What are you doing here, Moses?"

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, if only for the sake so I could speak, "The Lord of Israel s-spoke to me. The Lord says to let his p-people go, so they can w-worship him."

He stood up, any kindness or softness drained from his face. "I do not know this god you speak of, nor will I will let your people go. Now leave me you stammering fool, before you feel a true god's wrath!"

He unclenched his fist that had formed in his anger and stretched his hand out, pointing his finger, with his ring on it shining in the light, to the door we had came through. "Leave!" He roared.

I stood to my full height, attempting to control both my fear and anger, only partly succeeding. "You will free the Israelites, so they can travel three days from here to s-sacrifice, or you will feel the p-plagues of God. The Sword of t-the Lord."

With flames in Pharaoh's eyes becoming more like a wildfire every passing moment, he yelled, "Why are you stopping my slaves' labor? I will not let them go. Now leave, before you are thrown out to the dogs!"

With a snap of his fingers that were covered with Egypt's wealth, and a nod to the guard that had peek his head around the large and heavy door to see what all the noise was about, they were ushered out quite harshly.

As Aaron and I were being led out I saw Ramses talk to a guard, him bow and running off to do what ever he had been commanded, and the dancers come skipping in with smiles that did not touch their eyes.

A while later as we were walking toward where we were staying, I saw the Israelites working.

"You!" called an old, weak man from a swampy area, where he was collecting weed for bricks. "Why did you do this? Pharaoh made us gather our own straw to make his bricks. He called us lazy! Now we are working more than ever and it’s all your fault!"

My heart sank, and my brother's face drooped, at the old man's words. With a point of his dirty and cut up finger, he kept on accusing us.

"May God judge you; you might as well have put a sword in their hands. You have brought our death upon us. Are you pleased with yourselves?"

With a look that could have killed, he turned and continued to do the work he had been ordered to do. We went to where we were staying, with heavy hearts and dirty looks from all of the slaves that we passed.

Once we reached our destination I went on a short walk, so I could talk to the Lord without human ears present.

I once again sat on a hard and dusty rock and let out a sad breath that I had apparently been holding in.

"Lord," I said slowly in a quiet voice, holding my head in my hands in despair. "Why have you brought this trouble, this pain on my people? Why have you sent me? Ever sense I talked to Pharaoh in Your name, he has only brought more pain and suffering to them."

I stood straight up and pointed at the sky, with what some could consider to be tears just beginning to forming in my eyes. “You have not rescued my people. Why? Answer me, Lord! Answer me!"

I sat back down on the rock heavily, sad, in despair, defeated.