Then they said to one another,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Come, let&#8217;s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.&#8221;<n id="2" /> (They had brick instead of stone and tar<n id="3" /> instead of mortar.)<n id="4" />

So now, get back to work!<n id="1" /> You will not be given straw, but you must still produce<n id="2" /> your quota<n id="3" /> of bricks!&#8221;

<p class="poetry">&#8220;The bricks have fallen,p> <p class="poetry">but we will rebuild with chiseled stone;p> <p class="poetry">the sycamore fig trees have been cut down,p> <p class="poetry">but we will replace them with cedars.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">These people continually and blatantly offend me<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and burn incense on brick altars.<n id="3" />p>

They made their lives bitter<n id="1" /> by<n id="2" /> hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service<n id="3" /> in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.<n id="4" />p>

&#8220;You must no longer<n id="1" /> give straw to the people for making bricks<n id="2" /> as before.<n id="3" /> Let them go<n id="4" /> and collect straw for themselves.

No straw is given to your servants, but we are told,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Make bricks!&#8217; Your servants are even<n id="2" /> being beaten, but the fault<n id="3" /> is with your people.&#8221;p>

The Israelite foremen saw<n id="1" /> that they<n id="2" /> were in trouble when they were told,<n id="3" /> &#8220;You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;And you, son of man, take a brick<n id="1" /> and set it in front of you. Inscribe<n id="2" /> a city on it &#8211; Jerusalem.

But you must require<n id="1" /> of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before.<n id="2" /> Do not reduce it, for they are slackers.<n id="3" /> That is why they are crying, &#8216;Let us go sacrifice to our God.&#8217;