The Second Book of Moses,
Commonly Called
Exodus
1
1 Now
these are 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 All
the souls who
came out of
Jacob’s body were
seventy souls, and
Joseph was in
Egypt already.
6 Joseph
died, as did all
his brothers, and
all that
generation.
7 The
children of Israel
were fruitful, and
increased abundantly,
and multiplied,
and grew
exceedingly mighty;
and the land was
filled with them.
8 Now
there arose a
new king over
Egypt, who didn’t
know Joseph.
9 He said
to his people, “Behold,
the people of
the children of
Israel are more
and mightier than
we.
10 Come,
let’s deal wisely
with them, lest
they multiply, and
it happen that
when any war
breaks out, they
also join
themselves to our
enemies and fight
against us,
and escape out of
the land.”
11 Therefore
they set
taskmasters over
them to afflict
them with their
burdens. They
built storage
cities for Pharaoh:
Pithom and Raamses.
12 But
the more they
afflicted them,
the more they
multiplied and the
more they spread
out. They started
to dread the
children of Israel.
13 The
Egyptians ruthlessly made
the children of
Israel serve,
14 and
they made their
lives bitter with
hard service in
mortar and in
brick, and in
all kinds of
service in the
field, all their
service, in which
they ruthlessly made
them serve.
15 The
king of Egypt spoke
to the Hebrew
midwives, of whom
the name of
the one was
Shiphrah, and the
name of the
other Puah,
16 and
he said, “When
you perform the
duty of a
midwife to the
Hebrew women, and
see them on
the birth stool,
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 didn’t do what
the king of
Egypt commanded
them, but saved
the baby boys
alive.
18 The
king of Egypt
called for the
midwives, and said
to them, “Why
have you done
this thing and
saved the boys
alive?”
19 The
midwives said to
Pharaoh, “Because
the Hebrew
women aren’t like
the Egyptian women;
for they are
vigorous and give
birth before the
midwife comes to
them.”
20 God dealt
well with the
midwives, and the
people multiplied,
and grew very
mighty.
21 Because
the midwives
feared God, he
gave them families.
22 Pharaoh
commanded all his
people, saying, “You
shall cast every
son who is
born into the
river, and every
daughter you shall
save alive.”