Exodus 1

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Yaqub): 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Binyamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the souls who came out of the Yaqub's body were seventy souls, and Yusuf was in Egypt already. 6Yusuf died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 7The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew very mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn't know Yusuf. 9He said to his people, "Behold, the people of Bani-Israel are more and mightier than we. 10Come, 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." 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Firaun: Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of Bani-Israel. 13The Egyptians ruthlessly made Bani-Israel serve, 14and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

15The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 16and 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." 17But the midwives feared God, and didn't do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. 18The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?"

19The midwives said to Firaun, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

20God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families. 22Firaun charged all his people, saying, "You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."


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