Exodus 1
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.
These ben the names of the sones of Israel, that entriden into Egipt with Jacob; alle entriden with her housis;
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
Ruben, Symeon,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Leuy, Judas, Isachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
Dan, and Neptalim, Gad, and Aser.
5 All the offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.
Therfor alle the soules of hem that yeden out of `the hipe of Jacob weren seuenti and fyue.
6 Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
Forsothe Joseph was in Egipt; and whanne he was deed, and alle hise brithren, and al his kynrede,
7 And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
the sones of Israel encreessiden, and weren multiplied as buriounnyng, and thei weren maad strong greetli, and filliden the lond.
8 Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.
A newe kyng, that knewe not Joseph, roos in the meene tyme on Egipt, and seide to his puple, Lo!
9 And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:
the puple of the sones of Israel is myche, and strongere than we;
10 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.
come ye, wiseli oppresse we it, lest perauenture it be multiplied; and lest, if batel risith ayens vs, it be addid to oure enemyes, and go out of the lond, whanne we ben ouercomun.
11 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.
And so he made maistris of werkis souereyns to hem, that thei schulden turmente hem with chargis. And thei maden citees of tabernaclis to Farao, Fiton, and Ramesses.
12 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.
And bi hou myche thei oppressiden hem, bi so myche thei weren multiplied, and encreessiden more.
13 And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:
And Egipcians hatiden the sones of Israel, and turmentiden, and scorneden hem;
14 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.
and brouyten her lijf to bitternesse bi hard werkis of cley and to tijl stoon, and bi al seruage, bi which thei weren oppressid in the werkis of erthe.
15 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),
Forsothe the kyng of Egipt seide to the mydwyues of Ebrews, of whiche oon was clepid Sefora, the tother Fua;
16 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.
and he commaundide to hem, Whanne ye schulen do the office of medewyues to Ebrew wymmen, and the tyme of childberyng schal come, if it is a knaue child, sle ye him; if it is a womman, kepe ye.
17 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.
Forsothe the medewyues dredden God, and diden not bi the comaundement of the kyng of Egipt, but kepten knaue children.
18 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?
To whiche clepid to hym the kyng seide, What is this thing which ye wolden do, that ye wolden kepe the children?
19 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.
Whiche answeriden, Ebrew wymmen ben not as the wymmen of Egipt, for thei han kunnyng of the craft of medewijf, and childen bifore that we comen to hem.
20 And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.
Therfor God dide wel to medewyues; and the puple encreesside, and was coumfortid greetli.
21 And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.
And for the mydewyues dredden God, he bildide `housis to hem.
22 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.
Therfor Farao comaundide al his puple, and seide, What euer thing of male kynde is borun to Ebrewis, `caste ye into the flood; what euer thing of wymmen kynde, kepe ye.
