Exodus 1

Jacob’s Family Grows Strong

1 When Jacob 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 There was a total of seventy people who were descendants of Jacob. Jacob’s son Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all the people who had lived at that same time.

7 But the people of Israel had many children, and their number grew greatly. They became very strong, and the country of Egypt was filled with them.

Trouble for the People of Israel

8 Then a new king began to rule Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was.9 This king said to his people, “Look! The people of Israel are too many and too strong for us to handle!

10 If we don’t make plans against them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join our enemies and fight us and escape from the country!”
11 So the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.12 But the harder the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work, the more the Israelites grew in number and spread out. So the Egyptians became very afraid of them13 and demanded even more of them.

14 They made their lives bitter. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work.
15 Two Hebrew nurses, named Shiphrah and Puah, helped the Israelite women give birth to their babies. The king of Egypt said to the nurses,16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies, watch! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!”17 But the nurses feared God, so they did not do as the king told them; they let all the boy babies live.

18 Then the king of Egypt sent for the nurses and said, “Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?”
19 The nurses said to him, “The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can get there.”20 God was good to the nurses. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger.

21 Because the nurses feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 So the king commanded all his people, “Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live.”

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 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already.6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

15 And the king of Egypt spake 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 ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.20 And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households.22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.