1
And these are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt with◦ Jacob; a man◦ and his house they came.
2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5
And it was that all the souls that came··out of the thigh of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.
6
And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that◦ generation.
7
And the sons of Israel were··fruitful, and were productive*, and multiplied, and became· very very ·numerous; and the land was··filled with◦ them.
8
And there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
9
And he said to▵ his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and more numerous than we.
10
Come▵, let us act··wisely with them; lest they be··multiplied, and it will be that a war will befall us, and they will also add themselves to those who hate us, and fight against◦ us, and go··up from the land.
11
And they set over them princes of tributes, in order to afflict them with burdens◦. And they built cities of storehouses* for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses.
12
And as◦ they afflicted them, so they multiplied, and so they broke··forth. And they were moved··with··loathing on··account··of◦ the sons of Israel.
13
And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel to serve with severity;
14
and they made· their life ·bitter with hard service, in clay, and in bricks, and in all service in the field, with◦ all their service in which they made them serve with severity.
15
And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrew women, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah;
16
and he said, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the stools*; if he◦ be a son, then you shall··put· him ·to··death; and if it be a daughter, then she◦ shall live.
17
And the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, and they kept· the boys◦ ·alive.
18
And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Wherefore do you do this thing, and keep· the boys◦ ·alive?
19
And the midwives said to▵ Pharaoh, Because◦ the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian◦ women; for◦ they are lively, and have given··birth before◦ the midwife comes to▵ them.
20
And God did··well to the midwives; and the people was multiplied and became· very ·numerous.
21
And it was, because the midwives feared God, that He made for them houses.
22
And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son that is born, you shall cast him out into the river◦, and every daughter you shall let··live.
