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):

以色列的眾子，各帶家眷，和雅各一同來到埃及。他們的名字記在下面。

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

有呂便、西緬、利未、猶大、

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

以薩迦、西布倫、便雅憫、

4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

但、拿弗他利、迦得、亞設。

5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.

凡從雅各而生的，共有七十人。約瑟已經在埃及。

6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.

約瑟和他的弟兄，並那一代的人，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.

以色列人生養眾多，並且繁茂，極其強盛，滿了那地。

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

有不認識約瑟的新王起來，治理埃及，

9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.

對他的百姓說：「看哪，這以色列民比我們還多，又比我們強盛。

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.”

來吧，我們不如用巧計待他們，恐怕他們多起來，日後若遇甚麼爭戰的事，就連合我們的仇敵攻擊我們，離開這地去了。」

11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

於是埃及人派督工的轄制他們，加重擔苦害他們。他們為法老建造兩座積貨城，就是比東和蘭塞。

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.

只是越發苦害他們，他們越發多起來，越發蔓延；埃及人就因以色列人愁煩。

13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

埃及人嚴嚴地使以色列人做工，

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.

使他們因做苦工覺得命苦；無論是和泥，是做磚，是做田間各樣的工，在一切的工上都嚴嚴地待他們。

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,

有希伯來的兩個收生婆，一名施弗拉，一名普阿；埃及王對她們說：

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.”

「你們為希伯來婦人收生，看她們臨盆的時候，若是男孩，就把他殺了；若是女孩，就留她存活。」

17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

但是收生婆敬畏上帝，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?”

埃及王召了收生婆來，說：「你們為甚麼做這事，存留男孩的性命呢？」

19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

收生婆對法老說：「因為希伯來婦人與埃及婦人不同；希伯來婦人本是健壯的，收生婆還沒有到，她們已經生產了。」

20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.

上帝厚待收生婆。以色列人多起來，極其強盛。

21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

收生婆因為敬畏上帝，上帝便叫她們成立家室。

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.”

法老吩咐他的眾民說：「以色列人所生的男孩，你們都要丟在河裏；一切的女孩，你們要存留她的性命。」