< 出埃及记 1 >

1 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。
The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were
2 有吕便、西缅、利未、犹大、
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
3 以萨迦、西布伦、便雅悯、
Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
4 但、拿弗他利、迦得、亚设。
Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 凡从雅各而生的,共有七十人。约瑟已经在埃及。
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 约瑟和他的弟兄,并那一代的人,都死了。
[Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.
7 以色列人生养众多,并且繁茂,极其强盛,满了那地。
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 有不认识约瑟的新王起来,治理埃及,
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 对他的百姓说:“看哪,这以色列民比我们还多,又比我们强盛。
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 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。”
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 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。
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 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。
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 埃及人严严地使以色列人做工,
They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,
14 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。
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 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:
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 “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。”
“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 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。
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 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?”
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 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。”
[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 神厚待收生婆。以色列人多起来,极其强盛。
So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.
21 收生婆因为敬畏 神, 神便叫她们成立家室。
Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.
22 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。”
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.”

< 出埃及记 1 >