< Exodus 1 >

1 And these [are] the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt with Jacob; a man and his household have they come;
NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household:
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 And all the persons coming out of the thigh of Jacob are seventy persons; as to Joseph, he was in Egypt.
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph dieth, and all his brethren, 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 were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 And there riseth a new king over Egypt, who hath not known Joseph,
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
9 and he saith unto his people, 'Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;
And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;
10 give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'
come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.'
11 And they set over it princes of tribute, so as to afflict it with their burdens, and it buildeth store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses;
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 and as they afflict it, so it multiplieth, and so it breaketh forth, and they are vexed because of the sons of Israel;
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel.
13 and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.
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 rigour.
And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.
15 And the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),
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 and saith, 'When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it [is] a son — then ye have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter — then she hath lived.'
and he said: 'When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.'
17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, 'Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them: 'Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?'
19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them — they have borne!'
And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.'
20 And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;
And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;
And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.
22 and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born — into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'
And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: 'Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.'

< Exodus 1 >