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):

These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in, every man with his household:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,

4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

Dan, and Nephtali, Gad and Aser.

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

And all the souls that came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.

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

After he was dead, and all his brethren, and all that generation,

7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

The children of Israel increased, and sprung up into multitudes, and growing exceedingly strong they filled the land.

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

In the mean time there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph:

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

And he said to his people: Behold the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.

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.”

Come, let us wisely oppress them, lest they multiply: and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having overcome us, depart out of the land.

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

Therefore he set over them masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens, and they built for Pharao cities of tabernacles, Phithom and Ramesses.

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.

But the more they oppressed them, the more they were multiplied, and increased:

13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,

And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

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.

And they made their life bitter with hard works in clay, and brick, and with all manner of service, wherewith they were overcharged in the works of the earth.

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,

And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews: of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua,

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.”

Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.

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

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded, but saved the men children.

18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”

And the king called for them and said: What is that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?

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.”

They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skillful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

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

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

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

And because the midwives feared God, he built them houses.

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.”

Pharao therefore charged all his people, saying: Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, ye shall cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, ye shall save alive.