< Exodus 1 >

1 Hæc sunt nomina filiorum Israël qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum cum Jacob: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt:
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zabulon et Benjamin,
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 Jacob, septuaginta: Joseph autem in Ægypto erat.
All the people who were directly descended from Jacob were seventy-five, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Quo mortuo, et universis fratribus ejus, omnique cognatione illa,
Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 filii Israël creverunt, et quasi germinantes multiplicati sunt: ac roborati nimis, impleverunt terram.
The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Surrexit interea rex novus super Ægyptum, qui ignorabat Joseph.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 Et ait ad populum suum: Ecce, populus filiorum Israël multus, et fortior nobis est.
He said to his people, "Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
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 happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land."
11 Præposuit itaque eis magistros operum, ut affligerent eos oneribus: ædificaveruntque urbes tabernaculorum Pharaoni, Phithom et Ramesses.
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses.
12 Quantoque opprimebant eos, tanto magis multiplicabantur, et crescebant:
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13 oderantque filios Israël Ægyptii, et affligebant illudentes eis,
And the Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel labor,
14 atque ad amaritudinem perducebant vitam eorum operibus duris luti et lateris, omnique famulatu, quo in terræ operibus premebantur.
and they made their lives bitter with hard labor, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of labor in the field, all their labors which they ruthlessly made them do.
15 Dixit autem rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum, quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,
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 præcipiens eis: Quando obstetricabitis Hebræas, et partus tempus advenerit: si masculus fuerit, interficite eum: si femina, reservate.
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."
17 Timuerunt autem obstetrices Deum, et non fecerunt juxta præceptum regis Ægypti, sed conservabant mares.
But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
18 Quibus ad se accersitis, rex ait: Quidnam est hoc quod facere voluistis, ut pueros servaretis?
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?"
19 Quæ responderunt: Non sunt Hebreæ sicut ægyptiæ mulieres: ipsæ enim obstetricandi habent scientiam, et priusquam veniamus ad eas, pariunt.
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."
20 Bene ergo fecit Deus obstetricibus: et crevit populus, confortatusque est nimis.
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 Et quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum, ædificavit eis domos.
It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
22 Præcepit ergo Pharao omni populo suo, dicens: Quidquid masculini sexus natum fuerit, in flumen projicite: quidquid feminini, reservate.
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "You are to cast every son who is born to the Hebrews into the river, but every daughter you are to keep alive."

< Exodus 1 >