1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt. Every man and his household came there with Jacob.

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

⁴ Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

⁵ So all the souls who came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls. Joseph was in Egypt already.

⁶ Now Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation.

⁷ And the children of Israel brought forth fruit and increased in abundance, and were multiplied, and were exceedingly mighty, so that the land was full of them.

⁸ Then there rose up a new king in Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

⁹ And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are greater and mightier than us.

¹⁰ “Come, let us work wisely with them, lest they multiply and it happens that if there is war, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us and get themselves out of the land.”

¹¹ Therefore, they set taskmasters over them, to keep them under with burdens. And they built the cities Pithom and Raamses for the treasures of Pharaoh.

¹² But the more they burdened them, the more they multiplied and grew. Therefore, they were more grieved against the children of Israel.

¹³ So, the Egyptians caused the children of Israel to serve by cruelty.

¹⁴ Thus, they made them weary of their lives by extreme labor in clay and in brick, and in all work in the field, with all manner of bondage, which they laid upon them most cruelly.

¹⁵ Moreover, the king of Egypt commanded the midwives of the Hebrew women (of which one’s name was Shiphrah, and the name of another, Puah)

¹⁶ and said, “When you do the office of a midwife to the women of the Hebrews, and see them on their stools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him. But if it is a daughter, then let her live.”

¹⁷ Nevertheless, the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but saved the male children.

¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this, and have saved the male children?”

¹⁹ And the midwives answered Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt. For they are vigorous and are delivered before the midwives approach them.”

²⁰ God, therefore, prospered the midwives; and the people multiplied and were very mighty.

²¹ And therefore, because the midwives feared God, He made them houses.

²² Then, Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Cast every male child who is born into the river, but save every female child.”