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.
Chapter 2
1. And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife
a daughter of Levi.
2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw
him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an
ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch,
and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by
the river's brink.
4. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to
him.
5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the
river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and
when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to
fetch it.
6. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold,
the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This
is one of the Hebrews' children.
7. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and
call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse
the child for thee?
8. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went
and called the child's mother.
9. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away,
and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the
women took the child, and nursed it.
10. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's
daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name
Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
