Oppression
These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labour, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labour the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.
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.
So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labour, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
and worked them ruthlessly.
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
They made their lives bitter with harsh labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labour the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
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.
The midwives; the decree
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live? The midwives answered Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
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:
When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.
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.
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.
Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?
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?
The midwives answered Pharaoh, Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.
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.
So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.
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.