Exodus 1

1 Haec sunt nomina filiorum Israel qui ingressi sunt in Aegyptum cum Iacob: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt:

NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household:

2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Iudas,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 Issachar, Zabulon et Beniamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 Dan, et Nephthali, Gad, et Aser.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5 Erant igitur omnes animae eorum qui egressi sunt de femore Iacob, septuaginta: Ioseph autem in Aegypto erat.

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

6 Quo mortuo, et universis fratribus eius, omnique cognatione sua,

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

7 filii Israel creverunt, et quasi germinantes multiplicati sunt: ac roborati nimis, impleverunt terram.

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Surrexit interea rex novus super Aegyptum, qui ignorabat Ioseph:

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

9 et ait ad populum suum: Ecce, populus filiorum Israel multus, et fortior nobis est.

And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;

10 Venite, sapienter opprimamus eum, ne forte multiplicetur: et si ingruerit contra nos bellum, addatur inimicis nostris, expugnatisque nobis egrediatur de terra.

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 Praeposuit itaque eis magistros operum, ut affligerent eos oneribus: aedificaveruntque urbes tabernaculorum Pharaoni, Phithom, et Ramesses.

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

12 Quantoque opprimebant eos, tanto magis multiplicabantur, et crescebant:

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 oderantque filios Israel Aegyptii, et affligebant illudentes eis:

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.

14 atque ad amaritudinem perducebant vitam eorum operibus duris luti, et lateris, omnique famulatu, quo in terrae operibus premebantur.

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 Dixit autem Rex Aegypti obstetricibus Hebraeorum: quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,

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 praecipiens eis: Quando obstetricabitis Hebraeas, et partus tempus advenerit: si masculus fuerit, interficite eum: si femina, reservate.

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 Timuerunt autem obstetrices Deum, et non fecerunt iuxta praeceptum regis Aegypti, sed conservabant mares.

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

18 Quibus accersitis ad se, rex ait: Quidnam est hoc quod facere voluistis, ut pueros servaretis?

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 Quae responderunt: Non sunt Hebreae sicut Aegyptiae mulieres: ipsae enim obstetricandi habent scientiam, et priusquam veniamus ad eas, pariunt.

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 Bene ergo fecit Deus obstetricibus: et crevit populus, confortatusque est nimis.

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

21 Et quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum, aedificavit eis domos.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.

22 Praecepit ergo Pharao omni populo suo, dicens: Quidquid masculini sexus natum fuerit, in flumen proiicite: quidquid feminini, reservate.

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.'