These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with
Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was
already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all
that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and
increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so
that the land was filled with them.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too
many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them,
lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies
and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set
taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They
built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more
they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they
spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of
Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves
and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick,
and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they
ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom
was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife
to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son,
you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But
the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt
commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of
Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done
this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to
Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,
for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to
them.” So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people
multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared
God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people,
“Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the
Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
