Exodus 1

1 And these [are] the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt with Jacob; a man and his household have they come;

These are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser.

5 And all the persons coming out of the thigh of Jacob are seventy persons; as to Joseph, he was in Egypt.

But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls [born] of Jacob were seventy-five.

6 And Joseph dieth, and all his brethren, and all that generation;

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply, and are very very mighty, and the land is filled with them.

And the children of Israel increased and multiplied, and became numerous and grew exceedingly strong, and the land multiplied them.

8 And there riseth a new king over Egypt, who hath not known Joseph,

And there arose up another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

9 and he saith unto his people, 'Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;

And he said to his nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is stronger than we:

10 give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'

come then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whensoever war shall happen to us, these also shall be added to our enemies, and having prevailed against us in war, they will depart out of the land.

11 And they set over it princes of tribute, so as to afflict it with their burdens, and it buildeth store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses;

And he set over them task-masters, who should afflict them in their works; and they built strong cities for Pharao, both Pitho, and Ramesses, and On, which is Heliopolis.

12 and as they afflict it, so it multiplieth, and so it breaketh forth, and they are vexed because of the sons of Israel;

But as they humbled them, by so much they multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel.

13 and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

And the Egyptians tyrannised over the children of Israel by force.

14 and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every [kind] of service in the field; all their service in which they have served [is] with rigour.

And they embittered their life by hard labours, in the clay and in brick-making, and all the works in the plains, according to all the works, wherein they caused them to serve with violence.

15 And the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),

And the king of the Egyptians spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews; the name of the one was, Sepphora; and the name of the second, Phua.

16 and saith, 'When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it [is] a son — then ye have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter — then she hath lived.'

And he said, When ye do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it.

17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive.

18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, 'Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'

And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive?

19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them — they have borne!'

And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children.

20 And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;

And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.

21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;

And as the midwives feared God, they established for themselves families.

22 and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born — into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'

And Pharao charged all his people, saying, Whatever male [child] shall be born to the Hebrews, cast into the river; and every female, save it alive.