Exodus 1

1 Jakob hoi Izip prae ah kalaem imthung takoh Israel kaminawk boih ih ahmin loe,

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issakar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad hoi Asher.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5 Jakob ih caanawk loe sangqum boih ah qui sarihto oh o; Joseph loe Izip prae ah oh hmaloe.

All the offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.

6 Joseph hoi anih ih amyanawk, to nathuem ah kaom kaminawk doeh duek o boih.

Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.

7 Israel kaminawk loe caa sak o, paroeai pop o; pung o moe, thacak o parai.

And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.

8 To pacoengah Joseph panoek ai kangtha siangpahrang mah Izip prae to uk.

Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.

9 Anih mah angmah ih kaminawk khaeah, Khen oh, Israel kaminawk loe pop o parai moe, aicae pongah thacak o boeh.

And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:

10 Angzo oh; nihcae hae palunghahaih hoiah tamet si, to tih ai nahaeloe nihcae loe pop o aep aep tih boeh; misa angtukhaih om nahaeloe, nihcae loe aicae ih misanawk khaeah ni athum o tih, aicae hae tuh o ueloe, aicae prae hae caeh o taak sut tih, tiah a thuih pae.

Let us take care for fear that their numbers may become even greater, and if there is a war, they may be joined with those who are against us, and make an attack on us, and go up out of the land.

11 To pongah nihcae pacaekthlaek hanah hmawsaeng ukkungnawk to suek o. Faro ih hmuenmae patunghaih vangpui, Pithom hoi Raamses to nihcae hanah saksak.

So they put overseers of forced work over them, in order to make their strength less by the weight of their work. And they made store-towns for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.

12 Nihcae to paroeai pacaekthlaek o, toe nihcae loe pung o moe, qoeng o tahang aep aep; Israel kaminawk loe Izip kaminawk pongah paroeai palung boeng o.

But the more cruel they were to them, the more their number increased, till all the land was full of them. And the children of Israel were hated by the Egyptians.

13 Izip kaminawk loe tahmenhaih tawn ai ah Israel caanawk to toksak o sak;

And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:

14 Izip kaminawk mah nihcae to thlung kangphaek lakhaih, amlai long hmai qoenghaih hoi laikok thungah karai parai toknawk to a sak o sak moe, pacaekthlaek o.

And made their lives bitter with hard work, making building-material and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest conditions.

15 Izip siangpahrang mah nawkta omsakkung Hebru nongpata hnik, Shiphrah hoi Puah khaeah,

And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew women who gave help at the time of childbirth (the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah),

16 Hebru nongpatanawk nawkta ohsak naah, kahoihah khen hoih loe, nongpa nahaeloe hum hoi roep ah, nongpata loe pathlung hoih, tiah a naa.

When you are looking after the Hebrew women in childbirth, if it is a son you are to put him to death; but if it is a daughter, she may go on living.

17 Toe nawkta omsakkung Hebru nongpata hnik loe Sithaw to zit hoi pongah, Izip siangpahrang mah thuih ih lok baktih toengah sah hoi ai; caa nongpanawk to pathlung hoi.

But the women had the fear of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt said, but let the male children go on living.

18 To pongah Izip siangpahrang mah nihnik to kawk moe, Tipongah hae tiah tok na sak hoi loe? Tipongah caa nongpanawk to na pathlung hoi loe? tiah a naa.

And the king of Egypt sent for the women, and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children go on living?

19 Nawkta omsakkung hnik mah Faro khaeah, Hebru nongpatanawk loe Izip nongpatanawk baktiah om o ai; nihcae loe thacak o pongah, nawkta omsakkung pha ai naah nawkta tapen o ving boeh, tiah a naa hoi.

And they said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are strong, and the birth takes place before we come to them.

20 Sithaw mah nawkta omsakkungnawk nuiah anghoehaih tawnh pongah, kami pung o moe, thacak o.

And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.

21 Nawkta omsakkung hnik loe Sithaw to zit hoi pongah, Sithaw mah nihnik khaeah imthong hoi khosakhaih to paek.

And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.

22 To naah Faro mah angmah ih kaminawk khaeah, Tapen caa nongpa to vapui thungah va o boih ah, nongpata loe pathlung o boih ah, tiah lok a paek.

And Pharaoh gave orders to all his people, saying, Every son who comes to birth is to be put into the river, but every daughter may go on living.