Exodus 1

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

These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in, every man with his household:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan, and Nephtali, Gad and Aser.

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

And all the souls that came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.

6 And Joseph dies, and all his brothers, and all that generation;

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

7 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.

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

8 And there rises a new king over Egypt, who has not known Joseph,

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

9 and he says to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel [are] more numerous and mighty than we.

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

10 Give help! Let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it has come to pass, when war happens, that it has been joined, even it, to those hating us, and has fought against us, and has gone up out of the land.”

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.

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

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.

12 and as they afflict it, so it multiplies, and so it breaks forth, and they are distressed because of the sons of Israel;

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

13 and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigor,

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

14 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 rigor.

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.

15 And the king of Egypt speaks to the midwives, the Hebrewesses (of whom the name of the first [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),

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

16 and says, “When you cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children, if it [is] a son, then you have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter, then she has lived.”

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.

17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt has spoken to them, and they keep the boys alive;

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

18 and the king of Egypt calls for the midwives and says to them, “Why have you done this thing, and keep the boys alive?”

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

19 And the midwives say to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife comes to them—they have borne!”

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.

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

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

21 and it comes to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He makes households for them;

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

22 and Pharaoh lays a charge on all his people, saying, “Every son who is born—you cast him into the River, and every daughter you keep alive.”

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.