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14 The Israelites became very upset because of all the difficult work. They had to build houses with bricks and mortar.[a] They also did many different kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians made the Israelites do all this difficult work.

15 There were two Israelite women who helped the other women when they were giving birth. These two women were called Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to them, 16 ‘When you help the Israelite women at the birth of their children, this is what you must do. If she gives birth to a son, kill him. But if the child is a daughter, you may let her live.’

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Footnotes

  1. 1:14 ‘mortar’ is a mixture of sand and other materials used to fix bricks together.

14 and (A)made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

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