Exodus 1

1 The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt (every man and his household who came with Jacob):

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5 Altogether there were 70 people [who went with] Jacob. That included his [sons, his grandsons, and two great-grandsons]. [His son] Joseph was already in Egypt.

And all the souls who came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls. And Joseph was in Egypt already.

6 [Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.

And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.

7 But Jacob’s descendants kept giving birth to many children [IDM]. The number [of his descendants] kept becoming larger and larger. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt (OR, that they [became a threat] to the Egyptians).

And the sons of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty, and the land was filled with them.

8 Then [several hundred years later], a new king began to rule [MTY] in Egypt. He did not know [what] Joseph [had done for the people of Egypt long ago].

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

9 He said to his people, “Look [at what has happened]! The Israeli people have become so numerous and so powerful that they [now might conquer] us!

And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.

10 We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, their population will continue to grow. Then, if enemies [PRS] attack us, they will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from [our] land.”

Come, let us deal craftily with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when war happens, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.

11 So [the king and his officials] put supervisors over the Israeli people to cause them to suffer very much by [forcing them] to work very hard. They forced [the Israeli people to] build [two] cities, Pithom and Ramses, in which to store [supplies for the king/government].

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses.

12 But the more cruelly they treated the [Israeli people], the bigger the Israeli [population] grew, and they became more numerous all over [the land]. So the Egyptian people began to be afraid of the Israeli people.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. And they were grieved because of the sons of Israel.

13 They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,

And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel to serve with rigor.

14 and by making them slaves, they made their lives miserable. They [forced them] to [build many buildings with] mortar and bricks. [They also forced them to do] other work in the fields. [In making them do all this work, the Egyptian officials treated them] ruthlessly/cruelly.

And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, with which they made them serve with rigor.

15 There were two Hebrew (midwives/women who helped the women when they were giving birth). [Hebrew means the same as Israeli.] The names of the women were Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to [those two women],

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.

16 “When you help the Hebrew women when they are giving birth [MTY], if [the baby that is born] is a boy, you must kill it. If [the baby] is a girl, you (may let it live/do not have to kill them).”

And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

17 But the midwives feared/revered God. So they did not do what the king told them to do. They allowed the baby boys to live.

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

18 So the king summoned the [two] midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the male children alive?

19 [One of] the midwives replied to the king, “[You need to realize that] the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women are very strong/healthy. They give birth [to their babies] before we can get to them [to help them].”

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwife comes to them.

20 So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.

And God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.

21 Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households.

22 Then the king commanded all (the [Egyptian] people/his [advisors]): “You must throw into the Nile [River] every baby boy born that the [Hebrew women] give birth to! But you can allow the baby girls to live.”

And Pharaoh ordered all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.