Exodus 1:9-16

9He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us [they greatly outnumber us].

10Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they will not multiply and in the event of war, join our enemies, and fight against us and escape from the land.”

11So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. And the sons of Israel built Pithom and Raamses as storage cities for Pharaoh.

12But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, so that the Egyptians dreaded and were exasperated by the Israelites.

13And the Egyptians made the Israelites serve rigorously [forcing them into severe slavery].

14They made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar, brick, and all kinds of field work. All their labor was harsh and severe.

15Then 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.”