Exodus 1

Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household:

2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;

3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;

4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

5All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt.

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

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

8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.

10“Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.”

11So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.

13The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;

14and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.

15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah;

16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

17But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded 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 as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”

20So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

21Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.

22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”