Exodus 1

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

These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:

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.

Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.

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

Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.

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

However, the Israelites had many children and their numbers increased rapidly. In fact there were so many of them that they became very powerful—the country was full of them.

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

Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.

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

He conferred with his fellow Egyptians and said, “Look at these Israelites—there are more than them than us, and they're more powerful than us.

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.”

We've got to make plan to deal with them before they become so many that if there's a war they'll side with our enemies and fight us, and flee the country.”

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 the Egyptians made them do forced labor and put taskmasters in charge of them. They used them to build the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses.

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

But the more the Israelites were mistreated, the more they grew in numbers and spread out—and the more the Egyptians detested them.

13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,

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.

making their lives a misery. They made them do hard labor, building with mortar and brick, and all kind of heavy work in the fields. In all of this hard labor they treated them brutally.

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

Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and 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.”

He told them, “When you assist the Hebrew women during childbirth, if you see it's a boy, kill him; but if it's a girl, let her live.”

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

But because the midwives revered God, they didn't do what the king of Egypt had ordered. They let the boys live as well.

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

The king of Egypt called the midwives in and demanded to know, “Why have you done this— letting the male children live?”

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.”

“Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “They give birth more easily—they have them before we midwives arrive.”

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

God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.

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

Because the midwives revered God, he gave them families of their own.

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.”

Then Pharaoh issued this order to all his people: “Throw every Hebrew boy that's born into the Nile, but let every girl live.”