2 Mose 1

1 Yakob mma ne wɔn abusuafoɔ a wɔne no tu kɔtenaa no din na ɛdidi so yi.

The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were

2 Ruben, Simeon, Lewi ne Yuda;

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

3 Isakar, Sebulon ne Benyamin;

Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

4 Dan, Naftali; Gad ne Aser.

Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 Yakob asefoɔ a ɔne wɔn kɔeɛ no nyinaa ano si aduɔson. Na Yosef wɔ Misraim dada.

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.

6 Yosef ne ne nuanom ne wɔn ɛberɛ sofoɔ no nyinaa wuwuiɛ,

[Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.

7 nanso Israelfoɔ no ase dɔreeɛ, na wɔyɛɛ bebree, hyɛɛ asase no so ma.

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).

8 Na ɔhene foforɔ bi bɛdii adeɛ wɔ Misraim a na ɔnnim Yosef ho asɛm.

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].

9 Ɔka kyerɛɛ ne mamfoɔ no sɛ, “Monhwɛ, Israelfoɔ yi ase adɔre, wɔreyɛ adɔɔso dodo ama yɛn.

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!

10 Momma yɛmpɛ ɛkwan bi na yɛmfa so nsi saa dɔre a wɔredɔre no ano. Sɛ yɛanyɛ saa na ɔko bi si a, wɔbɛdɔm yɛn atamfoɔ ne wɔn ako atia yɛn na wɔafiri ɔman yi mu.”

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.”

11 Enti wɔde nkoa sohwɛfoɔ gyinagyinaa wɔn kɔn so ma wɔyɛɛ adwuma den de kyekyeree adekora nkuropɔn Pitom ne Rameses maa Farao.

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].

12 Nanso mpɛn dodoɔ a Misraimfoɔ no hyɛɛ wɔn so no, dɔ ara na Israelfoɔ no dɔɔso. Yei maa Misraimfoɔ no suroo Israelfoɔ

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.

13 na wɔkɔɔ so hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ no so ketee.

They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,

14 Wɔde adwumadenyɛ dii Israelfoɔ no nya. Wɔma wɔyɛɛ ntayaa ne dɔteɛ ho adwuma a ɛyɛ den ne mfuom nnwuma ahodoɔ. Yeinom nyinaa akyiri no Misraimfoɔ yɛɛ atirimuɔden akwan bebree so kyerɛɛ Israelfoɔ no.

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.

15 Misraimhene ka kyerɛɛ Hebrifoɔ awogyefoɔ a wɔn din ne Sifra ne Pua sɛ,

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],

16 “Sɛ mokɔgye Hebrini biara awoɔ, na awoeɛ hɔ mohunu sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabarima a, monkum no, na sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabaa deɛ a, monnyɛ no hwee.”

“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).”

17 Esiane sɛ na awogyefoɔ no yɛ onyamesurofoɔ no enti, wɔanni mmara a ɔhene no hyɛɛ wɔn no so maa mmarimaa a wɔwowoo wɔn no tenaeɛ.

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.

18 Ɔhene no frɛɛ wɔn bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Adɛn enti na moanni mmara a mehyɛeɛ no so na moama mmarimaa a Hebrifoɔ no wowoo wɔn no atena?”

So the king summoned the [two] midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”

19 Wɔbuaa no sɛ, “Hebrifoɔ mmaa no de ahoɔden wo ɔherɛ so enti yɛbɛduru hɔ no, na wɔawo dada. Wɔnte sɛ Misraimfoɔ mmaa no.”

[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].”

20 Onyankopɔn hyiraa awogyefoɔ no. Na Israelfoɔ no dɔɔso ara bɛyɛɛ ɔman kɛseɛ.

So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.

21 Esiane sɛ na awogyefoɔ no yɛ nyamesurofoɔ enti, Onyankopɔn domm wɔn mma.

Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.

22 Afei, Farao hyɛɛ mmara sɛ Herbrifoɔ mmarimaa a wɔbɛwo wɔn foforɔ no, wɔnto wɔn ngu Asubɔnten Nil mu na mmaayewa a wɔbɛwo wɔn foforɔ no deɛ, wɔntena hɔ.

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.”