Exodus 1

1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):

These are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin,

4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser.

5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.

But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls [born] of Jacob were seventy-five.

6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

And the children of Israel increased and multiplied, and became numerous and grew exceedingly strong, and the land multiplied them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

And there arose up another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.

And he said to his nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is stronger than we:

10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land.”

come then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whensoever war shall happen to us, these also shall be added to our enemies, and having prevailed against us in war, they will depart out of the land.

11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

And he set over them task-masters, who should afflict them in their works; and they built strong cities for Pharao, both Pitho, and Ramesses, and On, which is Heliopolis.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel.

But as they humbled them, by so much they multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel.

13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

And the Egyptians tyrannised over the children of Israel by force.

14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

And they embittered their life by hard labours, in the clay and in brick-making, and all the works in the plains, according to all the works, wherein they caused them to serve with violence.

15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,

And the king of the Egyptians spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews; the name of the one was, Sepphora; and the name of the second, Phua.

16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

And he said, When ye do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it.

17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive.

18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”

And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive?

19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children.

20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.

And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.

21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

And as the midwives feared God, they established for themselves families.

22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

And Pharao charged all his people, saying, Whatever male [child] shall be born to the Hebrews, cast into the river; and every female, save it alive.