Exodus 1

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

These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.

The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,

7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.

Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.

“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.

10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land.”

Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”

11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel.

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.

13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

15 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,

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

17 But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”

So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”

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

So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.

21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.

22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”