1 T hese are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob. Each one came with those of his house:

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who had come into Egypt; with Jacob had they come, each with his household:

2 R euben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3 I ssachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4 D an, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

5 T here were seventy people in Jacob’s family. But Joseph was already in Egypt.

And all the souls that had come out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.

6 J oseph and all his brothers died and all their families of that time.

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 B ut the sons of Israel had many children, and the people became many in number. There were so many that the land was filled with them.

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and swarmed and multiplied, and became exceeding strong; and the land was full of them.

8 T hen a new king came into power over Egypt. He did not know Joseph.

And there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9 H e said to his people, “See, the people of Israel are too many and too powerful for us.

And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we.

10 C ome, let us be wise in how we act towards them, or they will become more in number. If there is a war, they might join with those who hate us. They might fight against us and then leave the land.”

Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, if war occur, they take side with our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land.

11 S o they put men in power over them to make them work hard. And they built the store-cities Pithom and Raamses for Pharaoh the king.

And they set over them service-masters to oppress them with their burdens. And they built store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses.

12 B ut the more the Egyptians made them suffer, the more they became until they spread throughout the land. So the Egyptians were afraid of the people of Israel.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and spread; and they were distressed because of the children of Israel.

13 T he Egyptians made the people of Israel work very hard.

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness;

14 T hey made their lives bitter with hard work building with stones and with all kinds of work in the field. They made them work very hard.

and they embittered their life with hard labour in clay and bricks, and in all manner of labour in the field: all their labour with which they made them serve was with harshness.

15 T hen the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew nurses. The name of one was Shiphrah. The name of the other was Puah.

And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives—of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other was Puah—

16 H e said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth, and see the baby before the mother does, if it is a son, kill him. But if it is a daughter, let her live.”

and he said, When ye help the Hebrew women in bearing, and see on the stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if a daughter, then she shall live.

17 B ut the nurses feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt told them. They let the boys live.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive.

18 S o the king of Egypt called the nurses and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the boys live?”

And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have ye done this, and saved the male children alive?

19 T he nurses answered Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are strong. They give birth before the nurse comes to them.”

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them.

20 S o God was good to the nurses. And the people became many and strong.

And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.

21 B ecause the nurses feared God, He gave them families.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

22 T hen Pharaoh told all his people, “Throw every son who is born to the Hebrews into the Nile. But keep every daughter alive.”

Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, but every daughter ye shall save alive.