⁵ Pharaoh continued, “Now they are more numerous than the people of the land^[a] and yet you want them to stop laboring!”^(A)

⁷ But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.^(A)

The Israelites Are Oppressed

⁸ Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.^{(B) 9} He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we.^{(C) 10} Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” ¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.^(D)