Exodus 1

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:

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, and Judah;

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

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

6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,

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

7 but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

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

8 Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

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

9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.

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

10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”

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 So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

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 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.

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 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

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

14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

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 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

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 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

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 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

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 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

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 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”

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 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.

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

21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.

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

22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”

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.