Exodus 1

1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who had come into Egypt; with Jacob had they come, each with his household:

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

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 And all the souls that had come out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.

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

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

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

7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and swarmed and multiplied, and became exceeding strong; and the land was full of them.

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

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

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

9 And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we.

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

10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, if war occur, they take side with our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land.

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.”

11 And they set over them service-masters to oppress them with their burdens. And they built store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses.

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.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and spread; and they were distressed because of the children of Israel.

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

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness;

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

14 and they embittered their life with hard labour in clay and bricks, and in all manner of labour in the field: all their labour with which they made them serve was with harshness.

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.

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

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

16 and he said, When ye help the Hebrew women in bearing, and see [them] on the stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if a daughter, then she shall live.

“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.”

17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive.

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

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

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

19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them.

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

20 And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.

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

21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

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

22 Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, but every daughter ye shall save alive.

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.”