Exodus 1
1
Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt
1 # For ver. 1-4, see Gen. 35:23-26; 46:8-26 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the descendants of Jacob were #Gen. 46:27; Deut. 10:22seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Then #Gen. 50:26Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7#Deut. 26:5; Acts 7:17; [Gen. 46:3]But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Pharaoh Oppresses Israel
8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, #Cited Acts 7:18who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, #Ps. 105:24the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10#Ps. 83:3, 4 Come, #Ps. 105:25; Acts 7:19let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them #ch. 3:7; Gen. 15:13; Deut. 26:6 to afflict them with heavy #ch. 2:11; 5:4, 5; 6:6, 7; Ps. 81:6 burdens. They built for Pharaoh #[2 Chr. 16:4] store cities, Pithom and #[ch. 12:37; Gen. 47:11]Raamses. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel #See ch. 5:7-19work as slaves 14and #[ch. 2:23; 6:9; Num. 20:15; Acts 7:19, 34]made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17But the midwives #Prov. 16:6; [Dan. 3:16-18; 6:13; Acts 5:29]feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children 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 comes to them.” 20#[Eccles. 8:12]So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, #[1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 7:11, 27; 1 Kgs. 2:24; 11:38; Ps. 127:1]he gave them families. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, #Acts 7:19 “Every son that is born to the Hebrews#1:22 Samaritan, Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew lacks to the Hebrews you shall cast into #Gen. 41:1the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
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Exodus 1: ESV
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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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