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Exodus 1:9-11
Contemporary English Version
Exodus 1:9-11
Contemporary English Version
9 and he told the Egyptians:
There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are. 10 (A) If we don't outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.
11 The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses,[a] where the king[b] could store his supplies.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1.11 Pithom and Rameses: This is the only mention of Pithom in the Bible; its exact location is unknown, though it was probably in the northern Delta of Egypt. Rameses is the famous Delta city that was the home of Rameses II; its exact location is also unknown.
- 1.11 the king: The Hebrew text has “Pharaoh,” a Hebrew word sometimes used for the title of the king of Egypt.
Exodus 1:9-11
New International Version
Exodus 1:9-11
New International Version
9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous(A) for us.(B) 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly(C) 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.”(D)
11 So they put slave masters(E) over them to oppress them with forced labor,(F) and they built Pithom and Rameses(G) as store cities(H) for Pharaoh.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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