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 sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan and Nephthalim, 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.

But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls [born] of Jacob were seventy-five.

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

And Joseph died, 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.

And the children of Israel increased and multiplied, and became numerous and grew exceedingly strong, and the land multiplied them.

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

And there arose up another king over Egypt, who 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 nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is 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 then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whenever war shall happen to us, these also shall be added to our enemies, and having prevailed against us in war, they will 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;

And he set over them taskmasters, who should afflict them in their works; and they built strong cities for Pharao, both Pitho, and Ramesses, and On, which is Heliopolis.

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 as they humbled them, by so much they multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel.

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

And the Egyptians tyrannized over the children of Israel by force.

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 embittered their life by hard labours, in the clay and in brick-making, and all the works in the plains, according to all the works, wherein they caused them to serve with violence.

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 the Egyptians spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews; the name of the one was, Sepphora; and the name of the second, 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.”

And he said, When you do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it.

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 as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive.

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 of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that you have done this thing, and saved the male children alive?

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!”

And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children.

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

And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.

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

And as the midwives feared God, they established for themselves families.

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.”

And Pharao charged all his people, saying, Whatever male [child] shall be born to the Hebrews, cast into the river; and every female, save it alive.