< Exodus 1 >

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
These ben the names of the sones of Israel, that entriden into Egipt with Jacob; alle entriden with her housis;
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Ruben, Symeon,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Leuy, Judas, Isachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
Dan, and Neptalim, Gad, and Aser.
5 All the people who were directly descended from Jacob were seventy-five, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
Therfor alle the soules of hem that yeden out of `the hipe of Jacob weren seuenti and fyue.
6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
Forsothe Joseph was in Egipt; and whanne he was deed, and alle hise brithren, and al his kynrede,
7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
the sones of Israel encreessiden, and weren multiplied as buriounnyng, and thei weren maad strong greetli, and filliden the lond.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
A newe kyng, that knewe not Joseph, roos in the meene tyme on Egipt, and seide to his puple, Lo!
9 He said to his people, "Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
the puple of the sones of Israel is myche, and strongere than we;
10 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."
come ye, wiseli oppresse we it, lest perauenture it be multiplied; and lest, if batel risith ayens vs, it be addid to oure enemyes, and go out of the lond, whanne we ben ouercomun.
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses.
And so he made maistris of werkis souereyns to hem, that thei schulden turmente hem with chargis. And thei maden citees of tabernaclis to Farao, Fiton, and Ramesses.
12 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.
And bi hou myche thei oppressiden hem, bi so myche thei weren multiplied, and encreessiden more.
13 And the Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel labor,
And Egipcians hatiden the sones of Israel, and turmentiden, and scorneden hem;
14 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.
and brouyten her lijf to bitternesse bi hard werkis of cley and to tijl stoon, and bi al seruage, bi which thei weren oppressid in the werkis of erthe.
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,
Forsothe the kyng of Egipt seide to the mydwyues of Ebrews, of whiche oon was clepid Sefora, the tother Fua;
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."
and he commaundide to hem, Whanne ye schulen do the office of medewyues to Ebrew wymmen, and the tyme of childberyng schal come, if it is a knaue child, sle ye him; if it is a womman, kepe ye.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
Forsothe the medewyues dredden God, and diden not bi the comaundement of the kyng of Egipt, but kepten knaue children.
18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?"
To whiche clepid to hym the kyng seide, What is this thing which ye wolden do, that ye wolden kepe the children?
19 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."
Whiche answeriden, Ebrew wymmen ben not as the wymmen of Egipt, for thei han kunnyng of the craft of medewijf, and childen bifore that we comen to hem.
20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
Therfor God dide wel to medewyues; and the puple encreesside, and was coumfortid greetli.
21 It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
And for the mydewyues dredden God, he bildide `housis to hem.
22 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."
Therfor Farao comaundide al his puple, and seide, What euer thing of male kynde is borun to Ebrewis, `caste ye into the flood; what euer thing of wymmen kynde, kepe ye.

< Exodus 1 >