But is the conjunction waw, here showing that Moses does not accept the king’s offer. You must also let us have sacrifices is literally “also you [singular] will give in our hand sacrifices.” This has been interpreted in three different ways, each of which may influence the interpretation of the following verses. The keyword is also.
a) Some translations interpret the also to mean that Moses is demanding additional animals from the king (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible), especially since verse 26 begins with “And also our cattle.”
b) Good News Translation interprets also in the sense of “otherwise” or “in that case” and uses the subjunctive to suggest an alternative the king would probably never accept: “Then [or, In that case] you would have to provide us with animals.”
c) The most probable meaning, however, is that Moses is simply repeating his demand in 10.9, insisting that their own animals must be used for the sacrifice. In this sense the also means “in addition to our women and children” in verse 24. So Contemporary English Version simply has “No! … You must let us offer sacrifices…,” with the also understood. Translators are urged to follow this third interpretation. In some languages it may be necessary to be more explicit; for example, “You must let us take our animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer….”
Sacrifices and burnt offerings, of course, refers to the “animals” (Good News Translation) to be used in their worship. Sacrifices is the noun form of the verb meaning “to slaughter” (as discussed at 3.18). Burnt offerings is one word referring to a whole animal completely burned on an altar. (Revised English Bible uses “whole-offering,” and New American Bible uses “holocausts”.) That we may sacrifice is literally “and we will make [or, do].” The verb meaning to sacrifice is not used here, although the meaning is the same. Words like “offer” (Good News Translation) or “present” (New International Version) may be more appropriate. To the LORD our God must use the exclusive “our,” since Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, was not worshiped by the Egyptians. An alternative translation model for the final part of this verse, making the meaning more explicit, is “You must let us slaughter animals and also burn whole animals on the altar to offer to Yahweh our [exclusive] God.”
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .