Exodus 1
1 These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel [God prevails], who came into Egypt [Abode of slavery] (every man and his household came with Jacob [Supplanter]):
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
Reuben [See, a son!], Simeon [Hearing], Levi [United with], and Judah [Praised],
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Issachar [Hire, Reward], Zebulun [Living together], and Benjamin [Son of right hand, Son of south],
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
Dan [He judged] and Naphtali [My wrestling], Gad [Good fortune] and Asher [Happy].
5 Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.
All the souls who came out of Jacob [Supplanter]’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph [May he add] was in Egypt [Abode of slavery] already.
6 Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.
Joseph [May he add] died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
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 children of Israel [God prevails] were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt [Abode of slavery], who didn’t know Joseph [May he add].
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, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel [God prevails] are more and mightier than we.
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 wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of 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.
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
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 they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel [God prevails].
13 The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,
The Egyptians [people from Abode of slavery] ruthlessly made the children of Israel [God prevails] serve,
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.
and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
15 Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
The king of Egypt [Abode of slavery] spoke to the Hebrew [Immigrant] midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of 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.”
and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew [Immigrant] women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall 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 didn’t do what the king of Egypt [Abode of slavery] ordered them, but saved the baby boys alive.
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 [Abode of slavery] called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?”
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 said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew [Immigrant] women are not like the Egyptian [person from Abode of slavery] women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20 God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
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 enjoined all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
