Moses and Aaron before the Pharaoh, c.1585 - Johan Wierix, 1549 - 1618, ... “let my people go,” unless it is understood as a paraphrased ‘let my people go on a vacation’.

What if, before his heart had hardened, Moses had approached him and said, “Let my people go,” and Pharaoh— understanding that separation was necessary for both peoples to thrive—had agreed?

As his many admirers will anticipate, Spirin's extraordinary art is the raison d'être of this stately looking volume. ... "Now, won't you agree to let my people go?" Moses enquires of the pharaoh.