¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah (beauty) and the other named Puah (splendor), ¹⁶ “When you act as midwives 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.” ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God [with profound reverence] and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded, but they let the boy babies live. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and allowed the boy babies to live?” ¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth quickly and their babies are born before the midwife can get to them.” ²⁰ So God was good to the midwives, and the people [of Israel] multiplied and became very strong. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God [with profound reverence], ^[a]He established families and households for them. ²² Then ^[b]Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born [to the Hebrews] must be thrown into the Nile, but every daughter you shall keep alive.”