Bible Time
13000-12-23 (2010-01-09): Venezuela Devalues Currency
The Venezuela government devalued the currency by roughly 1/2. The new rate would be 4.3 bolivars to the US dollar. It had been 2.15, in place since 2005. A 2 level system was put in place for basic needs, which is expected to cause rampant fraud.
The move spared nearly immediate panic buying as the bolivar would soon be worthless. Lines formed around shops in Caracus in a last ditch attempt to extract value from paper currency.
Notes
The passage deals with the problem faced by workers when Pharaoh wants to make workers suffer. "Making Bricks without straw" is the idiom of the passage.
Government manipulation of how much value a worker extracts from his time is the aspect of Egyptian thinking in view here. Changing it at will something that all Pharaoh's do.
Exodus Firstborn-Plague: 7 Bricks without Straw
Theoretical Time:
- 13000/12/23 19:4:7 AA
- 2010-01-09 12:27:25 TMMT
- 2010-01-09 10:06:31 GMT
- 2010-01-09 05:06:31 EST
Associated Scripture:
2 Exodus 5:4-27
4And the king of Egypt said to them, Why, Moses and Aaron, do you cause the people to stop from their work? Go back to your tasks.
5And Pharaoh said to them, Look, the people of the land now are many, and you cause them to stop from their work.
6And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their scribes saying,
7You will not give the people straw to make bricks any longer; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8But the number of bricks which they made previously, you will lay on them; you will not reduce the number; for they are idle; that is why they cry saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9Let more work be assigned to the men, that they may be occupied, so that they may not think to engage in vain conversations.
10And the taskmasters of the people and their scribes went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will not give you straw.
11Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but your work will not be reduced.
12So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather the stubble.
13And the taskmasters pressed them saying, Complete your work as you have always done, as when straw was given to you.
14And the scribes of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had appointed over them, were beaten, and demanded, Why have you not completed your quota of bricks both yesterday and today, as previously?
15Then the scribes of the children of Israel came and complained to Pharaoh saying, Why are your servants treated in this manner?
16There is no straw given to your servants, yet they say to us, Make bricks; and look, your servants are beaten; and you sin against your people.
17But Pharaoh said to them, You are surely idle; therefore you say, Let us go and sacrifice to Yahvah.
18Go now and work; and straw will not be given you, yet you will deliver the number of bricks.
19And the scribes of the children of Israel saw that they were in a bad situation, for it was said to them, You must not reduce the number of your bricks, of your daily task.
20And they met Moses and Aaron standing opposite them, as they came out from the presence of Pharaoh;
21and they said to them, May Yahvah look on you and judge; because you have made us to be in disfavor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hands to kill us.
22And Moses returned to Yahvah and said, My Master, Why have you caused this people to be ill-treated? And why did you send me here?
23For since the hour I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has ill-treated this people; and you have not delivered your people at all.
1Then Yahvah said to Moses, Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will let them go, and by a mighty arm he will drive them out of his land.
2And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am Yahvah,
3who appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but my name Yahvah I did not make known to them.
4And I have also established my contract with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they lived.
5And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in servitude; and I have remembered my contract.
6Therefore say to the children of Israel, I am Yahvah your God, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their servitude, and I will save you by a strong hand and by a mighty arm and with great judgments;
7and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you will know that I am Yahvah your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8And I will bring you into the land concerning which I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for an inheritance; I am Yahvah.
9And Moses spoke this to the children of Israel; but they did not listen to him, because of their misery and because of servitude.
10And Yahvah spoke to Moses saying,
11Go in, and speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
12But Moses said to Yahvah, Look, the children of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am a stutterer?
13And Yahvah spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a charge to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.