In Egypt we used to eat all the fish we wanted, and it cost us nothing. Remember the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic we had?

So the Egyptians put slave drivers over them to crush their spirits with hard labor. The Israelites built the cities of Pithom and Rameses to serve as supply centers for the king.

Finally the king issued a command to all his people: "Take every newborn Hebrew boy and throw him into the Nile, but let all the girls live."

Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,

and complained: "It would have been better if we had died in front of the LORD's Tent along with the other Israelites.

Why have you brought us out into this wilderness? Just so that we can die here with our animals?

and said to them, "We wish that the LORD had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death."

But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"

The man answered, "Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just as you killed that Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and said to himself, "People have found out what I have done."

Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the LORD and against the king he chose.

"Let us free ourselves from their rule," they say; "let us throw off their control."

Now, his own people hated him, and so they sent messengers after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'

(He thought that his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free, but they did not understand.)

But the one who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside. 'Who made you ruler and judge over us?' he asked.