Asuprirea israeliţilor în Egipt

Acestea sunt numele israeliţilor care au venit în Egipt împreună cu Iacov şi împreună cu familiile lor: Ruben, Simeon, Levi şi Iuda, Isahar, Zabulon şi Beniamin, Dan şi Neftali, Gad şi Aşer. Toţi urmaşii lui Iacov erau în număr de şaptezeci[a]. Iosif se afla deja în Egipt. După o vreme, Iosif a murit; apoi au murit toţi fraţii săi şi toată generaţia de atunci. Israeliţii s-au înmulţit foarte mult; ei au devenit numeroşi şi au ajuns puternici, astfel încât ţara s-a umplut de ei.

Peste Egipt s-a ridicat un nou monarh, care nu-l cunoscuse pe Iosif. El a zis poporului său: „Iată că poporul israeliţilor este prea mare şi prea puternic pentru noi. 10 Haideţi să ne purtăm cu dibăcie faţă de ei, căci altfel se vor înmulţi şi, dacă se va întâmpla să fim în război, s-ar putea să li se alăture duşmanilor noştri, să lupte împotriva noastră şi să fugă din ţară.“ 11 Astfel, au pus peste ei supraveghetori de sclavi, ca să-i asuprească prin poveri grele; în acest fel au zidit Pitomul şi Ramsesul ca cetăţi cu hambare pentru Faraon[b]. 12 Însă cu cât erau ei mai asupriţi, cu atât se înmulţeau şi se răspândeau mai mult; egiptenii au ajuns să se teamă de israeliţi 13 şi i-au supus la o muncă foarte grea; 14 le-au făcut vieţile amare, punându-i să muncească din greu la facerea mortarului, a cărămizilor şi la tot felul de lucrări pe câmp. În toate sarcinile pe care le dădeau israeliţilor, egiptenii erau foarte aspri.

15 Monarhul Egiptului le-a zis moaşelor evreilor (pe una o chema Şifra, iar pe cealaltă Pua): 16 „Când vă veţi împlini slujba de moaşe la femeile evreilor şi le veţi vedea pe scaunul de naştere, dacă cel care se va naşte va fi băiat, omorâţi-l, dar dacă va fi fată, lăsaţi-o să trăiască.“ 17 Însă moaşele s-au temut de Dumnezeu şi n-au făcut cum le-a poruncit monarhul Egiptului, ci au lăsat şi băieţii să trăiască. 18 Monarhul Egiptului le-a chemat pe moaşe şi le-a întrebat:

– De ce aţi făcut acest lucru şi i-aţi lăsat şi pe băieţi să trăiască?

19 Moaşele i-au răspuns lui Faraon:

– Deoarece femeile evreilor nu sunt ca şi femeile egiptene; ele sunt vânjoase şi nasc înainte ca moaşa să ajungă la ele.

20 Dumnezeu le-a făcut bine moaşelor, iar poporul s-a înmulţit şi a ajuns foarte puternic. 21 Pentru că moaşele s-au temut de Dumnezeu, El le-a întemeiat familii. 22 Apoi Faraon a poruncit întregului său popor: „Aruncaţi în Nil orice băiat care li se va naşte[c] evreilor! Doar pe fete să le lăsaţi să trăiască!“

Footnotes

  1. Exodul 1:5 TM (vezi şi Gen. 46:27); Q, LXX (vezi şi nota la Gen. 46:27): şaptezeci şi cinci
  2. Exodul 1:11 Denumire a suveranului Egiptului; lit.: Marea (sau cea mai mare) Casă, indicând iniţial palatul regal iar apoi instituţia şi persoana suveranului (vezi, de ex., Înalta Poartă otomană, Casa Albă)
  3. Exodul 1:22 LXX, PentSam şi Tg; TM: fiecare băiat născut
'Exodus 1 ' not found for the version: New Matthew Bible.

And these [are] the names of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt with Jacob; a man and his household have they come;

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

And all the persons coming out of the thigh of Jacob are seventy persons; as to Joseph, he was in Egypt.

And Joseph dieth, and all his brethren, and all that generation;

and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply, and are very very mighty, and the land is filled with them.

And there riseth a new king over Egypt, who hath not known Joseph,

and he saith unto his people, `Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;

10 give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'

11 And they set over it princes of tribute, so as to afflict it with their burdens, and it buildeth store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses;

12 and as they afflict it, so it multiplieth, and so it breaketh forth, and they are vexed because of the sons of Israel;

13 and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

14 and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every [kind] of service in the field; all their service in which they have served [is] with rigour.

15 And the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),

16 and saith, `When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it [is] a son -- then ye have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter -- then she hath lived.'

17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;

18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, `Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'

19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, `Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them -- they have borne!'

20 And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;

21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;

22 and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, `Every son who is born -- into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'

The Israelites Oppressed

These are the names of the sons of Israel(A) who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.(B) The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[a] in all;(C) Joseph was already in Egypt.

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,(D) but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers(E) and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.(F) “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous(G) for us.(H) 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly(I) with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”(J)

11 So they put slave masters(K) over them to oppress them with forced labor,(L) and they built Pithom and Rameses(M) as store cities(N) for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly.(O) 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor(P) in brick(Q) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.(R)

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,(S) whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”(T) 17 The midwives, however, feared(U) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;(V) they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”(W)

20 So God was kind to the midwives(X) and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared(Y) God, he gave them families(Z) of their own.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile,(AA) but let every girl live.”(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 1:5 Masoretic Text (see also Gen. 46:27); Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14 and note at Gen. 46:27) seventy-five