Exodus 1
1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, that came into Egypt with Jacob, every man and his household they came.
These ben the names of the sones of Israel, that entriden into Egipt with Jacob; alle entriden with her housis;
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Ruben, Symeon,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Leuy, Judas, Isachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Dan, and Neptalim, Gad, and Aser.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; together with Joseph who was already in Egypt.
Therfor alle the soules of hem that yeden out of `the hipe of Jacob weren seuenti and fyue.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
Forsothe Joseph was in Egipt; and whanne he was deed, and alle hise brithren, and al his kynrede,
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
the sones of Israel encreessiden, and weren multiplied as buriounnyng, and thei weren maad strong greetli, and filliden the lond.
8 Now there rose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
A newe kyng, that knewe not Joseph, roos in the meene tyme on Egipt, and seide to his puple, Lo!
9 And he said unto his people: Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and mightier than we.
the puple of the sones of Israel is myche, and strongere than we;
10 Come, let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there happen to be a war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and depart out of the land.
come ye, wiseli oppresse we it, lest perauenture it be multiplied; and lest, if batel risith ayens vs, it be addid to oure enemyes, and go out of the lond, whanne we ben ouercomun.
11 And they set over taskmasters, to afflict them with their burdensome labors; and they built treasure cities, for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.
And so he made maistris of werkis souereyns to hem, that thei schulden turmente hem with chargis. And thei maden citees of tabernaclis to Farao, Fiton, and Ramesses.
12 But in the measure that they afflicted them, so they multiplied and so they spread out; and they felt abhorrence because of the children of Israel.
And bi hou myche thei oppressiden hem, bi so myche thei weren multiplied, and encreessiden more.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to labor with rigor:
And Egipcians hatiden the sones of Israel, and turmentiden, and scorneden hem;
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard labor, in mortar, and in bricks, and in all manner of labor in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them labor with rigor.
and brouyten her lijf to bitternesse bi hard werkis of cley and to tijl stoon, and bi al seruage, bi which thei weren oppressid in the werkis of erthe.
15 And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah;
Forsothe the kyng of Egipt seide to the mydwyues of Ebrews, of whiche oon was clepid Sefora, the tother Fua;
16 And he said: When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birth; if it be a son, then shall ye kill him; but if it be a daughter, then may she live.
and he commaundide to hem, Whanne ye schulen do the office of medewyues to Ebrew wymmen, and the tyme of childberyng schal come, if it is a knaue child, sle ye him; if it is a womman, kepe ye.
17 But the midwives feared God, and they did not as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
Forsothe the medewyues dredden God, and diden not bi the comaundement of the kyng of Egipt, but kepten knaue children.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and he said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?
To whiche clepid to hym the kyng seide, What is this thing which ye wolden do, that ye wolden kepe the children?
19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively; ere the midwife cometh in unto them they are delivered.
Whiche answeriden, Ebrew wymmen ben not as the wymmen of Egipt, for thei han kunnyng of the craft of medewijf, and childen bifore that we comen to hem.
20 And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Therfor God dide wel to medewyues; and the puple encreesside, and was coumfortid greetli.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
And for the mydewyues dredden God, he bildide `housis to hem.
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.
Therfor Farao comaundide al his puple, and seide, What euer thing of male kynde is borun to Ebrewis, `caste ye into the flood; what euer thing of wymmen kynde, kepe ye.
