Exodus 1
Complete Jewish Bible
Parashah 13: Sh’mot (Names) 1:1–6:1
1 These are the names of the sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov; each man came with his household: 2 Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, 3 Yissakhar, Z’vulun, Binyamin, 4 Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. 5 All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya‘akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.
6 Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. 7 The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9 but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10 Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra’el 13 and worked them relentlessly, 14 making their lives bitter with hard labor — digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
15 Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16 “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. (ii) 18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” 20 Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. 21 Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”
Shemot 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 Now these are the Shemot Bnei Yisroel, which came into Mitzrayim; every ish and his bais came with Ya’akov:
2 Reuven, Simeon, Levi, and Yehudah,
3 Yissakhar, Zevulun, and Binyamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the nefesh that came out of the loins of Ya’akov were seventy nefesh; for Yosef was in Mitzrayim already.
6 And Yosef died, and all his achim, and all that generation.
7 And the Bnei Yisroel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and became exceeding strong; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a melech chadash over Mitzrayim, which had no da’as of Yosef.
9 And he said unto his people, Hinei, the Am Bnei Yisroel are more and stronger than we.
10 Come, let us outsmart them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any milchamah, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them sarei missim (taskmasters) to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pitom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and spread out. And they were in dread because of the Bnei Yisroel.
13 And the Egyptians made the Bnei Yisroel to serve with rigor;
14 And they made their lives bitter with avodah kashah (hard bondage), in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of avodah in the sadeh; all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.
15 And Melech Mitzrayim spoke to the meyalledot HaIvriyyot (Hebrew midwives), of which the shem of the one was Shiphrah, and of the other Puah;
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to HaIvriyyot (the Hebrew women) and see them upon the delivery stool; if it be a ben, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a bat, then she shall live.
17 But the meyalledot feared HaElohim, and did not as Melech Mitzrayim commanded them, but saved the yeladim alive.
18 So Melech Mitzrayim called for the meyalledot, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the yeladim alive?
19 And the meyalledot said unto Pharaoh, Because HaIvriyyot are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and are delivered before the meyalledot come in unto them.
20 Therefore Elohim dealt well with the meyalledot; and the people multiplied, and grew very strong.
21 And it came to pass, because the meyalledot feared HaElohim, that He established them batim.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every ben that is born ye shall cast into the Nile, and every bat ye shall save alive.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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