Exodus 1

1 NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came 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 came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt already.

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 increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

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

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

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

9 And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;

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

10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them 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 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.

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 the more they spread abroad. And they were adread 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 to serve with rigour.

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

14 And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.

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 Puah;

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

16 and he said: 'When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be 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 commanded them, but saved the men-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 for the midwives, and said unto them: 'Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-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 unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto 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 waxed very mighty.

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 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: 'Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and 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.”