Exodus 1
1
1These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in, every man with his household:
2Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,
3Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,
4Dan, and Nephtali, Gad and Aser.
5And all the souls that came out of Jacob's thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.
6After he was dead, and all his brethren, and all that generation,
7The children of Israel increased, and sprung up into multitudes. And growing exceedingly strong they filled the land.
8In the mean time there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph.
9And he said to his people: Behold, the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.
10Come, let us wisely oppress them, lest they multiply: and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having overcome us, depart out of the land.
11Therefore he set over them masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens. And they built for Pharao cities of tabernacles, Phithom and Ramesses.
12But the more they oppressed them, the more they were multiplied, and increased.
13And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel: and afflicted them and mocked them
14And they made their life bitter with hard works in clay, and brick, and with all manner of service, wherewith they were overcharged in the works of the earth.
15And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews, of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua,
16Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.
17But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded; but saved the men children.
18And the king called for them and said: What is that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?
19They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women. For they themselves are skillful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.
20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.
21And because the midwives feared God, he built them houses.
22Pharao therefore charged all his people, saying: Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, ye shall cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, ye shall save alive.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Exodus 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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