Sh'mot (Exo) 1
1
Parashah 13: Sh’mot (Names) 1:1–6:1
1These are the names of the sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov; each man came with his household: 2Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, 3Yissakhar, Z’vulun, Binyamin, 4Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. 5All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya‘akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.
6Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. 7The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them.
8Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses. 12But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra’el 13and worked them relentlessly, 14making their lives bitter with hard labor — digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
15Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16“When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. (ii) 18The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” 20Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. 21Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. 22Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleExodus 1
1
Israel Oppressed in Egypt
1These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his family:#Gn 46:8
2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5The total number of Jacob’s descendants#1:5 Lit of people issuing from Jacob’s loins was seventy;#1:5 LXX, DSS read 75; Gn 46:27; Ac 7:14#Gn 46:26–27; Dt 10:22 Joseph was already in Egypt.
6Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation eventually died.#Gn 50:26 7But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous#Gn 12:2; 46:3; Dt 26:5; Ac 7:17 so that the land was filled with them.
8A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are.#Ps 105:24 10Come, let’s deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and when war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”#Ps 83:3–4; Ac 7:19 11So the Egyptians assigned taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor.#Gn 15:13; Ex 2:11; 3:7; 5:4–5; 6:6; Dt 26:6 They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities#Gn 47:11; 1Kg 9:19; 2Ch 8:4 for Pharaoh. 12But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread#1:12 Or Egyptians loathed the Israelites. 13They worked the Israelites ruthlessly#Dt 4:20 14and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.#Ex 2:23; Nm 20:15; Ac 7:19
15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives — the first, whose name was Shiphrah, and the second, whose name was Puah — 16“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God#Ex 1:21; Pr 16:6 and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them;#Dn 3:16–18; Ac 4:18–20; 5:29 they let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?”
19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”#Jos 2:4; 2Sm 17:20
20So God was good to the midwives,#Pr 11:18; Is 3:10 and the people multiplied and became very numerous. 21Since the midwives feared God, he gave them families.#1Sm 2:35; 2Sm 7:11,27; 1Kg 11:38; Ps 127:1 22Pharaoh then commanded all his people, “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”#Gn 41:1; Ac 7:19
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