Exodus 1:8-22

8Now a new 1king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 92He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are 3more and mightier than we. 10Come, let us 4deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and 5in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and 6depart from the land.” 11So they appointed 7taskmasters over them to afflict them with 89hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh 10storage cities, Pithom and 11Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, 12the more they multiplied and the more they 13spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel 14to labor rigorously; 14and they made 15their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously 16imposed on them.

15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom 17was named Shiphrah and the other 18was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, 19if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives 2021feared God, and 22did not do as the king of Egypt had 23commanded 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 24can get to them.” 20So 25God was good to the midwives, and 26the people multiplied, and became very 27mighty. 21Because the midwives 2829feared God, He 3031established 32households for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “33Every son who is born 34you are to cast into 35the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”