Exodus 1

¹ TThese are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in every man with his household:

² Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

³ Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,

⁴ Dan, and Nephthali, Gad and Aser.

⁵ And all the souls that came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.

⁶ After he was dead, and all his brethren, and all that generation,

⁷ The children of Israel increased, and sprung up into multitudes, and growing exceedingly strong they filled the land.

⁸ In the mean time there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph:

⁹ And he said to his people: Behold the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.

¹⁰ Come let us wisely oppress them, lest they multiply: and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having overcome us, depart out of the land.

¹¹ Therefore he set over them masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens: and they built for Pharao cities of tabernacles, Phithom, and Ramesses.

¹² But the more they oppressed them, the more they were multiplied and increased.

¹³ And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

¹⁴ And they made their life bitter with hard works in clay and brick, and with all manner of service, wherewith they were overcharged in the works of the earth.

¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews: of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua,

¹⁶ Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.

¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded, but saved the men children.

¹⁸ And the king called for them and said: What is it that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?

¹⁹ They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skilful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

²⁰ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he built them houses.

²² Pharao therefore charged all his people, saying: Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, ye shall cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, ye shall save alive.