Exodus 1

Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1Now these are the 1names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one 2with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the 3persons who came from the loins of Jacob were 4seventy 5in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 66Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7But the sons of Israel 7were fruitful and 8increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly 9mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

8Now a new 10king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 911He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are 12more and mightier than we. 10Come, let us 13deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and 14in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and 15depart from the land.” 11So they appointed 16taskmasters over them to afflict them with 1718hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh 19storage cities, Pithom and 20Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, 21the more they multiplied and the more they 22spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel 23to labor rigorously; 14and they made 24their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously 25imposed on them.

15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom 26was named Shiphrah and the other 27was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, 28if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives 2930feared God, and 31did not do as the king of Egypt had 32commanded them, but let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife 33can get to them.” 20So 34God was good to the midwives, and 35the people multiplied, and became very 36mighty. 21Because the midwives 3738feared God, He 3940established 41households for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “42Every son who is born 43you are to cast into 44the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”