1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel,
which 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 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 up a new king over Egypt, which 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
on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass,
that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and
fight against us, and so 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 treasure cities, Pithom 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 to serve with rigour:
14 And
they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in
all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them
serve, was with
rigour.
15 And
the king of Egypt spake 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 ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon
the stools; 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
midwives come in unto them.
20 Therefore
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 houses.
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.
