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 who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

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

All the people who were directly descended from Jacob were seventy-five, and Joseph was in Egypt already.

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

Joseph died, as did all his brothers, 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.

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

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

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

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

He said to his people, "Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier 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, 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."

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;

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

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 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.

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

And the Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel labor,

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 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.

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),

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,

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 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."

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 do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys 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?'

The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys 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!'

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."

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

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

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

It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them 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.'

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."