Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1 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: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ^5 [b]All the people who descended from Jacob were ^(B)seventy ^[c]people, but Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶ And ^(C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷ 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.

⁸ Now a new ^(E)king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ 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.”

²¹ Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and ^(A)you will look for Me, and ^(B)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² So ^(C)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘^(D)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ And He was saying to them, “^(E)You are from below, I am from above; ^(F)you are of this world, ^(G)I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you ^(H)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that ^[a](I)I am, ^(J)you will die in your sins.” ²⁵ Then they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “^[b]What have I even been saying to you from the beginning? ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge regarding you, but ^(K)He who sent Me is true; and ^(L)the things which I heard from Him, these I say to the world.” ²⁷ They did not realize that He was speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you ^(M)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^[c](N)I am, and ^(O)I do nothing ^[d]on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me; ^(P)He ^[e]has not left Me alone, for ^(Q)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” ³⁰ As He said these things, ^(R)many came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^(S)If you continue in My word, then you are truly My ^(T)disciples; ³² and ^(U)you will know the truth, and ^(V)the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “^(W)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, ^(X)everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ Now ^(Y)the slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(Z)the son does remain forever. ³⁶ So if the Son ^(AA)sets you free, you really will be free. ³⁷ I know that you are ^(AB)Abraham’s descendants; yet ^(AC)you are seeking to kill Me, because My word ^[f]has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak of the things which I have seen ^[g]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^(AD)your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^(AE)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “^(AF)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, ^(AG)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^(AH)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of ^(AI)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; ^(AJ)we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^(AK)you would love Me, ^(AL)for I came forth from God and am here; for I have ^(AM)not even come ^[h]on My own, but ^[i](AN)He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand ^[j](AO)what I am saying? It is because you cannot ^(AP)listen to My word. ^44 (AQ)You are of ^(AR)your father the devil, and ^(AS)you want to do the desires of your father. ^(AT)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^(AU)there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells ^[k]a lie, he ^(AV)speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of ^[l]lies. ⁴⁵ But because ^(AW)I say the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^(AX)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (AY)The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48 (AZ)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a ^(BA)Samaritan, and You ^(BB)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not ^(BC)have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ But ^(BD)I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. ⁵¹ Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone ^(BE)follows My word, he will never ^(BF)see death.” ^52 (BG)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(BH)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone ^(BI)follows My word, he will never ^(BJ)taste of death.’ ⁵³ You ^(BK)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “^(BL)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^(BM)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; ⁵⁵ and ^(BN)you have not come to know Him, ^(BO)but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^(BP)a liar like you; ^(BQ)but I do know Him, and I ^(BR)follow His word. ^56 (BS)Your father Abraham was ^(BT)overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” ^57 (BU)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham ^[m]was born, ^[n](BV)I am.” ⁵⁹ Therefore they ^(BW)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^(BX)hid Himself and left the temple grounds.