New American Standard Bible 2020

Exodus 1:7-20

7But the sons of Israel 1were fruitful and 2increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly 3mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

8Now a new 4king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9And 5he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are 6too many and too mighty for us. 10Come, let us 7deal 8shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and 9in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and 10depart from the land.” 11So they appointed 11taskmasters over them to oppress them with 12 13hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh 14storage cities, Pithom and 15Raamses. 12But the more they oppressed them, 16the more they multiplied and the more they 17spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians 18used violence to compel the sons of Israel 19to labor; 14and they made 20their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.

15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom 21was named Shiphrah, and the other 22was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, 23if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives 24 25feared God, and 26did not do as the king of Egypt had 27commanded 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 like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife 28can get to them.” 20So 29God was good to the midwives, and 30the people multiplied, and became very 31mighty.

Read all of Exodus 1

Notes

1. Exodus 1:7 Gen 12:2; 28:3; 35:11; 46:3; 47:27; 48:4; Deut 26:5; Ps 105:24; Acts 7:17 ↩
2. Exodus 1:7 Lit swarmed ↩
3. Exodus 1:7 Or numerous ↩
4. Exodus 1:8 Acts 7:18, 19 ↩
5. Exodus 1:9 Ps 105:24, 25 ↩
6. Exodus 1:9 Or more and mightier than we ↩
7. Exodus 1:10 Acts 7:19 ↩
8. Exodus 1:10 Or wisely ↩
9. Exodus 1:10 Lit it will come about when war occurs that ↩
10. Exodus 1:10 Lit go up from ↩
11. Exodus 1:11 Gen 15:13; Ex 3:7; 5:6 ↩
12. Exodus 1:11 Lit their burdens ↩
13. Exodus 1:11 Ex 1:14; 2:11; 5:4-9; 6:6f ↩
14. Exodus 1:11 1 Kin 9:19; 2 Chr 8:4 ↩
15. Exodus 1:11 Gen 47:11 ↩
16. Exodus 1:12 Ex 1:7 ↩
17. Exodus 1:12 Lit broke forth ↩
18. Exodus 1:13 Lit with violence compelled ↩
19. Exodus 1:13 Gen 15:13; Deut 4:20 ↩
20. Exodus 1:14 Ex 2:23; 6:9; Num 20:15; Acts 7:19 ↩
21. Exodus 1:15 Lit the name was ↩
22. Exodus 1:15 Lit the name was ↩
23. Exodus 1:16 Acts 7:19 ↩
24. Exodus 1:17 Or revered ↩
25. Exodus 1:17 Ex 1:21; Prov 16:6 ↩
26. Exodus 1:17 Acts 4:18-20; 5:29 ↩
27. Exodus 1:17 Lit spoken to ↩
28. Exodus 1:19 Lit comes to ↩
29. Exodus 1:20 Prov 11:18; Eccl 8:12; Heb 6:10 ↩
30. Exodus 1:20 Ex 1:12; Is 3:10 ↩
31. Exodus 1:20 Or numerous ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Exodus 1