Exodus 1
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
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, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Dan, and Neptalim, Gad, and Aser.
5 All the people who were descendants of Jacob were seventy in number. Joseph was already in Egypt.
Therfor alle the soules of hem that yeden out of `the hipe of Jacob weren seuenti and fyue.
6 Then Joseph, all his brothers, and all that generation died.
Forsothe Joseph was in Egipt; and whanne he was deed, and alle hise brithren, and al his kynrede,
7 The Israelites were fruitful, increased greatly in numbers, and became very strong; 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 then a new king arose over Egypt, one who did not know about Joseph.
A newe kyng, that knewe not Joseph, roos in the meene tyme on Egipt, and seide to his puple, Lo!
9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are.
the puple of the sones of Israel is myche, and strongere than we;
10 Come, let us deal with them wisely, otherwise they will continue to grow in numbers, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave 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 So they put taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. The Israelites built store cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses.
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 the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites increased in numbers and spread. So the Egyptians began to dread the Israelites.
And bi hou myche thei oppressiden hem, bi so myche thei weren multiplied, and encreessiden more.
13 The Egyptians made the Israelites work rigorously.
And Egipcians hatiden the sones of Israel, and turmentiden, and scorneden hem;
14 They made their lives bitter with hard service with mortar and brick, and with all kinds of work in the fields. All their required work was hard.
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 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives; the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the other Puah.
Forsothe the kyng of Egipt seide to the mydwyues of Ebrews, of whiche oon was clepid Sefora, the tother Fua;
16 He said, “When you assist the Hebrew women on the birthstool, observe when they give birth. If it is a son, then you must kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she may 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 did not do as the king of Egypt ordered them; instead, they let the baby boys live.
Forsothe the medewyues dredden God, and diden not bi the comaundement of the kyng of Egipt, but kepten knaue children.
18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the baby boys live?”
To whiche clepid to hym the kyng seide, What is this thing which ye wolden do, that ye wolden kepe the children?
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous and have finished giving birth before a midwife comes to them.”
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 God protected these midwives. The people increased in numbers and became very strong.
Therfor God dide wel to medewyues; and the puple encreesside, and was coumfortid greetli.
21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
And for the mydewyues dredden God, he bildide `housis to hem.
22 Pharaoh ordered all his people, “You must throw every son that is born into the river, but every daughter you will let live.”
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.
