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:

And these [are] the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt with Jacob; a man and his household have they come;

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.

And all the persons coming out of the thigh of Jacob are seventy persons; as to Joseph, he was in Egypt.

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

And Joseph dieth, and all his brethren, and all that generation;

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

and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply, and are very very mighty, and the land is filled with them.

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

And there riseth a new king over Egypt, who hath not known Joseph,

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

and he saith unto his people, 'Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;

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.

give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'

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.

And they set over it princes of tribute, so as to afflict it with their burdens, and it buildeth store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses;

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

and as they afflict it, so it multiplieth, and so it breaketh forth, and they are vexed because of the sons of Israel;

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

and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

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.

and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every [kind] of service in the field; all their service in which they have served [is] with rigour.

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

And the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second 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.

and saith, 'When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it [is] a son — then ye have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter — then she hath lived.'

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

And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;

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

and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, 'Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'

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.

And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them — they have borne!'

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

And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;

21 And because the midwives feared God, he built them houses.

and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;

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.

and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born — into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'