Exodus 1

1 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.

The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were

2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

3 Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

4 Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser.

Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

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

Altogether there were 70 people [who went with] Jacob. That included his [sons, his grandsons, and two great-grandsons]. [His son] Joseph was already in Egypt.

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

[Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.

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

But Jacob’s descendants kept giving birth to many children [IDM]. The number [of his descendants] kept becoming larger and larger. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt (OR, that they [became a threat] to the Egyptians).

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

Then [several hundred years later], a new king began to rule [MTY] in Egypt. He did not know [what] Joseph [had done for the people of Egypt long ago].

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

He said to his people, “Look [at what has happened]! The Israeli people have become so numerous and so powerful that they [now might conquer] us!

10 come then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whenever 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.

We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, their population will continue to grow. Then, if enemies [PRS] attack us, they will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from [our] land.”

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

So [the king and his officials] put supervisors over the Israeli people to cause them to suffer very much by [forcing them] to work very hard. They forced [the Israeli people to] build [two] cities, Pithom and Ramses, in which to store [supplies for the king/government].

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

But the more cruelly they treated the [Israeli people], the bigger the Israeli [population] grew, and they became more numerous all over [the land]. So the Egyptian people began to be afraid of the Israeli people.

13 And the Egyptians tyrannized over the children of Israel by force.

They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,

14 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.

and by making them slaves, they made their lives miserable. They [forced them] to [build many buildings with] mortar and bricks. [They also forced them to do] other work in the fields. [In making them do all this work, the Egyptian officials treated them] ruthlessly/cruelly.

15 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.

There were two Hebrew (midwives/women who helped the women when they were giving birth). [Hebrew means the same as Israeli.] The names of the women were Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to [those two women],

16 And he said, When you 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.

“When you help the Hebrew women when they are giving birth [MTY], if [the baby that is born] is a boy, you must kill it. If [the baby] is a girl, you (may let it live/do not have to kill them).”

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

But the midwives feared/revered God. So they did not do what the king told them to do. They allowed the baby boys to live.

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

So the king summoned the [two] midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”

19 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.

[One of] the midwives replied to the king, “[You need to realize that] the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women are very strong/healthy. They give birth [to their babies] before we can get to them [to help them].”

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

So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.

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

Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.

22 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.

Then the king commanded all (the [Egyptian] people/his [advisors]): “You must throw into the Nile [River] every baby boy born that the [Hebrew women] give birth to! But you can allow the baby girls to live.”