Exodus 1
1 The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were
さて、ヤコブと共に、おのおのその家族を伴って、エジプトへ行ったイスラエルの子らの名は次のとおりである。
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
すなわちルベン、シメオン、レビ、ユダ、
3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
イッサカル、ゼブルン、ベニヤミン、
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
ダン、ナフタリ、ガド、アセルであった。
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.
ヤコブの腰から出たものは、合わせて七十人。ヨセフはすでにエジプトにいた。
6 [Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.
そして、ヨセフは死に、兄弟たちも、その時代の人々もみな死んだ。
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).
けれどもイスラエルの子孫は多くの子を生み、ますますふえ、はなはだ強くなって、国に満ちるようになった。
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].
ここに、ヨセフのことを知らない新しい王が、エジプトに起った。
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!
彼はその民に言った、「見よ、イスラエルびとなるこの民は、われわれにとって、あまりにも多く、また強すぎる。
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.”
さあ、われわれは、抜かりなく彼らを取り扱おう。彼らが多くなり、戦いの起るとき、敵に味方して、われわれと戦い、ついにこの国から逃げ去ることのないようにしよう」。
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].
そこでエジプトびとは彼らの上に監督をおき、重い労役をもって彼らを苦しめた。彼らはパロのために倉庫の町ピトムとラメセスを建てた。
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.
しかしイスラエルの人々が苦しめられるにしたがって、いよいよふえひろがるので、彼らはイスラエルの人々のゆえに恐れをなした。
13 They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,
エジプトびとはイスラエルの人々をきびしく使い、
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.
つらい務をもってその生活を苦しめた。すなわち、しっくいこね、れんが作り、および田畑のあらゆる務に当らせたが、そのすべての労役はきびしかった。
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],
またエジプトの王は、ヘブルの女のために取上げをする助産婦でひとりは名をシフラといい、他のひとりは名をプアという者にさとして、
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).”
言った、「ヘブルの女のために助産をするとき、産み台の上を見て、もし男の子ならばそれを殺し、女の子ならば生かしておきなさい」。
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.
しかし助産婦たちは神をおそれ、エジプトの王が彼らに命じたようにはせず、男の子を生かしておいた。
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?”
エジプトの王は助産婦たちを召して言った、「あなたがたはなぜこのようなことをして、男の子を生かしておいたのか」。
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].”
助産婦たちはパロに言った、「ヘブルの女はエジプトの女とは違い、彼女たちは健やかで助産婦が行く前に産んでしまいます」。
20 So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.
それで神は助産婦たちに恵みをほどこされた。そして民はふえ、非常に強くなった。
21 Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.
助産婦たちは神をおそれたので、神は彼女たちの家を栄えさせられた。
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.”
そこでパロはそのすべての民に命じて言った、「ヘブルびとに男の子が生れたならば、みなナイル川に投げこめ。しかし女の子はみな生かしておけ」。
