Exodus 1
1
Jacob’s Family Grows Strong
1When Jacob went to Egypt, he took his sons, and each son took his own family with him. These are the names of the sons of Israel: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5There was a total of seventy people who were descendants of Jacob. Jacob’s son Joseph was already in Egypt.
6Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all the people who had lived at that same time. 7But the people of Israel had many children, and their number grew greatly. They became very strong, and the country of Egypt was filled with them.
Trouble for the People of Israel
8Then a new king began to rule Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was. 9This king said to his people, “Look! The people of Israel are too many and too strong for us to handle! 10If we don’t make plans against them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join our enemies and fight us and escape from the country!”
11So the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12But the harder the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work, the more the Israelites grew in number and spread out. So the Egyptians became very afraid of them 13and demanded even more of them. 14They made their lives bitter. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work.
15Two Hebrew nurses, named Shiphrah and Puah, helped the Israelite women give birth to their babies. The king of Egypt said to the nurses, 16“When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies, watch! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!” 17But the nurses feared God, so they did not do as the king told them; they let all the boy babies live. 18Then the king of Egypt sent for the nurses and said, “Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?”
19The nurses said to him, “The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can get there.” 20God was good to the nurses. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger. 21Because the nurses feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22So the king commanded all his people, “Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live.”
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Exodus 1: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Exodus 1
1
Israel Multiplies in Egypt
1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came, each one #1:1 Lit andwith his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5#1:5 Lit Every soulAll the people who descended from Jacob were seventy #1:5 Lit soulspeople, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7But the sons of Israel were fruitful and #1:7 Lit swarmedincreased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly #1:7 Or numerousmighty, so that the land was filled with them.
8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are #1:9 Or more and mightier than wetoo many and too mighty for us. 10Come, let us deal #1:10 Or wiselyshrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and #1:10 Lit it will come about when war occurs thatin the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and #1:10 Lit go up fromdepart from the land.” 11So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with #1:11 Lit their burdenshard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they #1:12 Lit broke forthspread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians #1:13 Lit with violence compelledused violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor; 14and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.
15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom #1:15 Lit the name waswas named Shiphrah, and the other #1:15 Lit the name waswas named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives #1:17 Or reveredfeared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had #1:17 Lit spoken tocommanded them, but let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife #1:19 Lit comes tocan get to them.” 20So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very #1:20 Or numerousmighty. 21And because the midwives #1:21 Or reveredfeared God, He #1:21 Lit madeestablished #1:21 Or familieshouseholds for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, #1:22 Some ancient versions insert to the Hebrewsyou are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.”
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