< 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):
以色列的众子,各带家眷,和雅各一同来到埃及。他们的名字记在下面。
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
有吕便、西缅、利未、犹大、
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
以萨迦、西布伦、便雅悯、
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
但、拿弗他利、迦得、亚设。
5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
凡从雅各而生的,共有七十人。约瑟已经在埃及。
6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
约瑟和他的弟兄,并那一代的人,都死了。
7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
以色列人生养众多,并且繁茂,极其强盛,满了那地。
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
有不认识约瑟的新王起来,治理埃及,
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
对他的百姓说:“看哪,这以色列民比我们还多,又比我们强盛。
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.”
来吧,我们不如用巧计待他们,恐怕他们多起来,日后若遇什么争战的事,就连合我们的仇敌攻击我们,离开这地去了。”
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
于是埃及人派督工的辖制他们,加重担苦害他们。他们为法老建造两座积货城,就是比东和兰塞。
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.
只是越发苦害他们,他们越发多起来,越发蔓延;埃及人就因以色列人愁烦。
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
埃及人严严地使以色列人做工,
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.
使他们因做苦工觉得命苦;无论是和泥,是做砖,是做田间各样的工,在一切的工上都严严地待他们。
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,
有希伯来的两个收生婆,一名施弗拉,一名普阿;埃及王对她们说:
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.”
“你们为希伯来妇人收生,看她们临盆的时候,若是男孩,就把他杀了;若是女孩,就留她存活。”
17 But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
但是收生婆敬畏 神,不照埃及王的吩咐行,竟存留男孩的性命。
18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”
埃及王召了收生婆来,说:“你们为什么做这事,存留男孩的性命呢?”
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.”
收生婆对法老说:“因为希伯来妇人与埃及妇人不同;希伯来妇人本是健壮的,收生婆还没有到,她们已经生产了。”
20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
神厚待收生婆。以色列人多起来,极其强盛。
21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
收生婆因为敬畏 神, 神便叫她们成立家室。
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.”
法老吩咐他的众民说:“以色列人所生的男孩,你们都要丢在河里;一切的女孩,你们要存留她的性命。”

< Exodus 1 >