Israel Multiplies in Egypt

Now these are the (A)names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came, each one [a]with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. [b]All the people who descended from Jacob were (B)seventy [c]people, but Joseph was already in Egypt. And (C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the sons of Israel (D)were fruitful and [d]increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly [e]mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

Now a new (E)king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And (F)he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are [f]too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us (G)deal [g]shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and [h]in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and [i]depart from the land.” 11 So they appointed (H)taskmasters over them to oppress them with [j](I)hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh (J)storage cities, Pithom and (K)Raamses. 12 But the more they oppressed them, (L)the more they multiplied and the more they [k]spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. 13 The Egyptians [l]used violence to compel the sons of Israel (M)to labor; 14 and they made (N)their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.

15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom [m]was named Shiphrah, and the other [n]was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, (O)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 [o](P)feared God, and (Q)did not do as the king of Egypt had [p]commanded 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 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife [q]can get to them.” 20 So (R)God was good to the midwives, and (S)the people multiplied, and became very [r]mighty. 21 And because the midwives [s](T)feared God, He [t](U)established [u]households for them. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “(V)Every son who is born, [v]you are to throw into (W)the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 1:1 Lit and
  2. Exodus 1:5 Lit Every soul
  3. Exodus 1:5 Lit souls
  4. Exodus 1:7 Lit swarmed
  5. Exodus 1:7 Or numerous
  6. Exodus 1:9 Or more and mightier than we
  7. Exodus 1:10 Or wisely
  8. Exodus 1:10 Lit it will come about when war occurs that
  9. Exodus 1:10 Lit go up from
  10. Exodus 1:11 Lit their burdens
  11. Exodus 1:12 Lit broke forth
  12. Exodus 1:13 Lit with violence compelled
  13. Exodus 1:15 Lit the name was
  14. Exodus 1:15 Lit the name was
  15. Exodus 1:17 Or revered
  16. Exodus 1:17 Lit spoken to
  17. Exodus 1:19 Lit comes to
  18. Exodus 1:20 Or numerous
  19. Exodus 1:21 Or revered
  20. Exodus 1:21 Lit made
  21. Exodus 1:21 Or families
  22. Exodus 1:22 Some ancient versions insert to the Hebrews

Israel and Oppression in Egypt

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt; with Jacob, they each came with his family:[a] Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And all those who descended from Jacob[b] were seventy individuals,[c] and Joseph was in Egypt. And Joseph died and all of his brothers and all of that generation. And the Israelites[d] were fruitful and multiplied and were many and were very, very numerous, and the land was filled with them.

And a new king rose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the Israelites[e] are greater and more numerous than us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, lest they become many, and when war happens, they also will join our enemies and will fight against us and go up from the land.” 11 And they appointed commanders of forced labor over them in order to oppress them with their forced labor,[f] and they built storage cities for Pharaoh—Pithom and Rameses. 12 And as he oppressed them, so they became many, and so they spread out, and the Egyptians were afraid because of the presence of the Israelites.[g] 13 And the Egyptians ruthlessly compelled the Israelites[h] to work. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard work with mortar and with bricks and with all sorts of work in the field—with all their work in which they ruthlessly enslaved them.

15 And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives—of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the second was Puah— 16 and he said, “When you help the Hebrews give birth, you will look upon the pairs of testicles; if he is a son, you will put him to death, and if she is a daughter, she will live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and they did not do as the king of Egypt had said to them. They let the boys live. 18 And the king of Egypt summoned the midwives, and he said to them, “Why have you done this thing and let the boys live?” 19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, because they are vigorous; before the midwife comes to them, they have given birth.” 20 And God did the midwives good, and the Israelite people became many and were very numerous. 21 And so[i] because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.[j] 22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you will throw into the Nile, and every daughter you will let live.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 1:1 Literally “house”
  2. Exodus 1:5 Literally “every soul/individual/life, the ones going out from the loins of Jacob”
  3. Exodus 1:5 Or “souls,” “lives”
  4. Exodus 1:7 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Exodus 1:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Exodus 1:11 Literally “burdens” or “burdensome labor”
  7. Exodus 1:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  8. Exodus 1:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Exodus 1:21 Literally “and he/it was”
  10. Exodus 1:21 Literally “houses”