⁶ Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,^{(A) 7} but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers^(B) and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

⁸ Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.^{(C) 9} “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous^(D) for us.^{(E) 10} Come, we must deal shrewdly^(F) 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.”^(G)

¹¹ So they put slave masters^(H) over them to oppress them with forced labor,^(I) and they built Pithom and Rameses^(J) as store cities^(K) 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.^{(L) 14} They made their lives bitter with harsh labor^(M) in brick^(N) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.^(O)

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,^(P) 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.”^{(Q) 17} The midwives, however, feared^(R) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;^(S) they let the boys live.

⁶ Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,^{(A) 7} but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers^(B) and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

⁸ Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.^{(C) 9} “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous^(D) for us.^{(E) 10} Come, we must deal shrewdly^(F) 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.”^(G)

¹¹ So they put slave masters^(H) over them to oppress them with forced labor,^(I) and they built Pithom and Rameses^(J) as store cities^(K) 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.^{(L) 14} They made their lives bitter with harsh labor^(M) in brick^(N) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.^(O)

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,^(P) 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.”^{(Q) 17} The midwives, however, feared^(R) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;^(S) they let the boys live.

²³ During that long period,^(A) the king of Egypt died.^(B) The Israelites groaned in their slavery^(C) and cried out, and their cry^(D) for help because of their slavery went up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning and he remembered^(E) his covenant^(F) with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. ²⁵ So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned^(G) about them.