¹⁰ Come, let us ^(A)deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and it be ^[a]in the event of war, that they also join themselves to those who hate us and fight against us and ^(B)go up from the land.” ¹¹ So they appointed ^(C)taskmasters over them to afflict them with ^[b](D)hard labors. And they built for Pharaoh ^(E)storage cities, Pithom and ^(F)Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, ^(G)the more they multiplied and the more they ^[c]spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. ¹³ So the Egyptians brutally compelled the sons of Israel ^(H)to slave labor; ¹⁴ and they made ^(I)their lives bitter with ^[d]hard slave labor in mortar and bricks and in all kinds of slave labor in the field, all their slave labor which they brutally ^[e]compelled them to do.

¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom ^[f]was named Shiphrah and the other ^[g]was named Puah; ¹⁶ and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, ^(J)if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives ^[h](K)feared God and ^(L)did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but let the boys live. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” ¹⁹ Then the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can come to them.” ²⁰ So ^(M)God was good to the midwives, and ^(N)the people multiplied and became very ^[i]mighty. ²¹ Now it happened that because the midwives ^[j](O)feared God, He ^(P)made ^[k]households for them. ²² And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “^(Q)Every son who is born ^[l]you are to cast into ^(R)the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

¹⁶ and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, ^(A)if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives ^[a](B)feared God and ^(C)did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but let the boys live. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” ¹⁹ Then the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can come to them.” ²⁰ So ^(D)God was good to the midwives, and ^(E)the people multiplied and became very ^[b]mighty. ²¹ Now it happened that because the midwives ^[c](F)feared God, He ^(G)made ^[d]households for them. ²² And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “^(H)Every son who is born ^[e]you are to cast into ^(I)the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”