Exodus 1
1 These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
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, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.
All the people who were descendants of Jacob were seventy in number. Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.
Then Joseph, all his brothers, and all that generation died.
7 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.
The Israelites were fruitful, increased greatly in numbers, and became very strong; the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.
Now then a new king arose over Egypt, one who did not know about Joseph.
9 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.
He said to his people, “Look, the Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are.
10 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.”
Come, let us deal with them wisely, otherwise they will continue to grow in numbers, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the land.”
11 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.
So they put taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. The Israelites built store cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses.
12 But the more the Israelites were mistreated, the more they grew in numbers and spread out—and the more the Egyptians detested them.
But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites increased in numbers and spread. So the Egyptians began to dread the Israelites.
13 The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,
The Egyptians made the Israelites work rigorously.
14 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.
They made their lives bitter with hard service with mortar and brick, and with all kinds of work in the fields. All their required work was hard.
15 Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives; the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the other Puah.
16 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.”
He said, “When you assist the Hebrew women on the birthstool, observe when they give birth. If it is a son, then you must kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she may live.”
17 But because the midwives revered God, they didn't do what the king of Egypt had ordered. They let the boys live as well.
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt ordered them; instead, they let the baby boys live.
18 The king of Egypt called the midwives in and demanded to know, “Why have you done this— letting the male children live?”
The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the baby boys live?”
19 “Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “They give birth more easily—they have them before we midwives arrive.”
The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous and have finished giving birth before a midwife comes to them.”
20 God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.
God protected these midwives. The people increased in numbers and became very strong.
21 Because the midwives revered God, he gave them families of their own.
Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
22 Then Pharaoh issued this order to all his people: “Throw every Hebrew boy that's born into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Pharaoh ordered all his people, “You must throw every son that is born into the river, but every daughter you will let live.”
