Exodus 1
1 The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were
Israel ƒe viŋutsu siwo kplɔ Yakob ɖo yi Egipte kple woƒe ƒometɔwoe nye:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Yuda,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
Isaka, Zebulon, Benyamin,
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Dan, Naftali, Gad kple Aser.
5 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.
Ame siwo katã kplɔ Yakob ɖo yi Egipte la anɔ ame blaadre. Yosef ya nɔ afi ma xoxo.
6 [Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.
Le ɣeyiɣi aɖe megbe la, Yosef kple nɔviawo katã ku, eye dzidzime ma nu tso.
7 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).
Azɔ la, Israelviwo ƒe dzidzimeviwo dzina kabakaba. Wodzi sɔ gbɔ ale gbegbe be le ɣeyiɣi kpui aɖe megbe la, wozu dukɔ gã aɖe, eye woyɔ anyigba la dzi fũu.
8 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].
Eva eme be fia yeye aɖe va ɖu Egipte dzi, ame si menya Yosef o.
9 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!
Fia sia gblɔ na eƒe amewo be, “Kpɔ ɖa, Israelvi siawo sɔ gbɔ wu mí akpa.
10 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.”
Mina míato ayemɔ aɖe dzi atsi nu sia nu. Ne míetsi nu sia nu o, eye aʋa dzɔ la, woade míaƒe futɔwo dzi, awɔ aʋa kpli mí asi adzo le anyigba la dzi.”
11 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].
Ale Egiptetɔwo wɔ Israelviwo woƒe kluviwoe. Wotsɔ dɔdzikpɔla ŋutasẽlawo ɖo wo nu be woana woawɔ dɔ sesẽ, woatu nudzraɖoƒe gãwo ɖe Pitom kple Rameses na Farao.
12 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.
Togbɔ be Egiptetɔwo nɔ fu wɔm Israelviwo, eye wonɔ wo tem ɖe to wu tsã gɔ̃ hã la, Israelviwo ganɔ dzidzim ɖe edzi kokoko! Nu sia gado ŋɔdzi na Egiptetɔwo wu
13 They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,
eye wogazi wo dzi wu tsã.
14 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.
Wona agbenɔnɔ ti wo to dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ le anyikpewo meme kple agbledɔwo wɔwɔ me. Egiptetɔwo na wowɔ dɔ sesẽ siawo katã nublanuimakpɔmakpɔtɔe.
15 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],
Egipte fia gblɔ na Hebri nyɔnu siwo nye vixelawo, ame siwo ŋkɔwoe nye Sipra kple Pua be,
16 “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).”
“Ne miekpe ɖe Hebri nyɔnu aɖe ŋu wòdzi vi, eye miekpɔ le vidziƒea be ŋutsuvi wòdzi la, miwu ɖevi la enumake, gake ne nyɔnuvi wòdzi la, mina ɖevia natsi agbe.”
17 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.
Ke vixela siawo vɔ̃a Mawu, eye womewɔ ɖe Egipte fia la ƒe se la dzi o, wona ŋutsuviawo hã tsi agbe.
18 So the king summoned the [two] midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”
Fia la yɔ vixelawo, eye wòbia wo be, “Nu ka ta miegbe nye se la dzi wɔwɔ, eye miena ŋutsuviawo hã le agbe tsim ɖo?”
19 [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].”
Woɖo eŋu na Farao be, “Aƒetɔ, Hebri nyɔnuwo ƒe vidzidzi tsɔna ale gbegbe be, míeɖoa wo gbɔ hafi wodzia vi le wo ɖokuiwo si o. Woawo ƒe vidzidzi mexɔa ɣeyiɣi abe míaƒe Egipte nyɔnuwo tɔ ene o!”
20 So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.
Le esia ta Mawu yra vixelawo. Ale Israelviwo dzi ɖe edzi, eye wokpɔ ŋusẽ ŋutɔ.
21 Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.
Esi vixelawo vɔ̃a Mawu ta la, Mawu na viwo woawo hã.
22 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.”
Fia Farao va de se na eƒe amewo katã be, “Miatsɔ ŋutsuvi ɖe sia ɖe si woadzi la aƒu gbe ɖe Nil tɔsisi la me, ke miana nyɔnuviwo ya natsi agbe.”
