Exodus 1

1 Hæc sunt nomina filiorum Israel qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum cum Iacob: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt:

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.

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 animæ eorum qui egressi sunt de femore Iacob, septuaginta: Ioseph autem in Ægypto erat.

All the offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.

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

Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.

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

And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.

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

Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.

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

And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:

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

Let us take care for fear that their numbers may become even greater, and if there is a war, they may be joined with those who are against us, and make an attack on us, and go up out of the land.

11 Præposuit itaque eis magistros operum, ut affligerent eos oneribus: ædificaveruntque urbes tabernaculorum Pharaoni, Phithom, et Ramesses.

So they put overseers of forced work over them, in order to make their strength less by the weight of their work. And they made store-towns for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.

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

But the more cruel they were to them, the more their number increased, till all the land was full of them. And the children of Israel were hated by the Egyptians.

13 oderantque filios Israel Ægyptii, et affligebant illudentes eis:

And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:

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

And made their lives bitter with hard work, making building-material and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest conditions.

15 Dixit autem rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum: quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,

And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew women who gave help at the time of childbirth (the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah),

16 præcipiens eis: Quando obstetricabitis Hebræas, et partus tempus advenerit: si masculus fuerit, interficite eum: si femina, reservate.

When you are looking after the Hebrew women in childbirth, if it is a son you are to put him to death; but if it is a daughter, she may go on living.

17 Timuerunt autem obstetrices Deum, et non fecerunt iuxta præceptum regis Ægypti, sed conservabant mares.

But the women had the fear of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt said, but let the male children go on living.

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

And the king of Egypt sent for the women, and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children go on living?

19 Quæ responderunt: Non sunt Hebreæ sicut Ægyptiæ mulieres: ipsæ enim obstetricandi habent scientiam, et priusquam veniamus ad eas, pariunt.

And they said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are strong, and the birth takes place before we come to them.

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

And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.

21 Et quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum, ædificavit eis domos.

And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.

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

And Pharaoh gave orders to all his people, saying, Every son who comes to birth is to be put into the river, but every daughter may go on living.