Exodus 1

1 These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in, every man with his household:

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

2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan, and Nephtali, Gad and Aser.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5 And all the souls that came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.

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

6 After he was dead, and all his brethren, and all that generation,

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

7 The children of Israel increased, and sprung up into multitudes, and growing exceedingly strong they filled the land.

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 In the mean time there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph:

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

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

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 wisely oppress them, lest they multiply: and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having overcome us, depart out of the land.

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 Therefore he set over them masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens, and they built for Pharao cities of tabernacles, Phithom and Ramesses.

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 oppressed them, the more they were multiplied, and increased:

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

13 And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,

14 And they made their life bitter with hard works in clay, and brick, and with all manner of service, wherewith they were overcharged in the works of the earth.

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 And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews: of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua,

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

16 Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.

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 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded, but saved the men children.

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 And the king called for them and said: What is that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?

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

19 They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skillful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

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

20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

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 built them houses.

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

22 Pharao therefore charged all his people, saying: Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, ye shall cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, ye shall save alive.

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