Exodus 1

1. And these were the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt. Every man and his household came with Jacob:

2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;

3. Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;

4. Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls, for Joseph was already in Egypt.

6. And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.

7. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased very much and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty. And the land was filled with them.

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

9. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are many and mightier than we.

10. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it will be when there comes a war, they join also to our enemies and fight against us, and get them out of the land.”

11. And they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built treasure cities for Pharaoh, Pithon and Raamses.

12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

13. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness.

14. And they made their lives bitter with hard work in mortar and in bricks, and in all kinds of work in the field. All their work in which they made them do was with harshness.

15. And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah.

16. And he said, “When you midwife the Hebrew women, and look on the birth stools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

17. But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved alive the male children.

18. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the male children alive?”

19. And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwives come to them.”

20. And God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and became very mighty.

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

22. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”