Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1 Now these are the ^(A)names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one ^[a]with his household: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵ All the ^[b]persons who came from the loins of Jacob were ^(B)seventy ^[c]in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. ^6 (C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷ But the sons of Israel ^(D)were fruitful and ^[d]increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly ^[e]mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

⁸ Now a new ^(E)king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ^9 (F)He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are ^[f]more and mightier than we. ¹⁰ Come, let us ^(G)deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and ^[g]in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and ^[h]depart from the land.” ¹¹ So they appointed ^(H)taskmasters over them to afflict them with ^[i](I)hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh ^(J)storage cities, Pithom and ^(K)Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, ^(L)the more they multiplied and the more they ^[j]spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. ¹³ The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel ^(M)to labor rigorously; ¹⁴ and they made ^(N)their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously ^[k]imposed on them.

¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom ^[l]was named Shiphrah and the other ^[m]was named Puah; ¹⁶ and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, ^(O)if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives ^[n](P)feared God, and ^(Q)did not do as the king of Egypt had ^[o]commanded them, but let the boys live. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” ¹⁹ The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife ^[p]can get to them.” ²⁰ So ^(R)God was good to the midwives, and ^(S)the people multiplied, and became very ^[q]mighty. ²¹ Because the midwives ^[r](T)feared God, He ^[s](U)established ^[t]households for them. ²² Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “^(V)Every son who is born ^[u]you are to cast into ^(W)the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

²¹ Then He said again to them, “I go away, and ^(A)you will seek Me, and ^(B)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² So ^(C)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘^(D)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ And He was saying to them, “^(E)You are from below, I am from above; ^(F)you are of this world, ^(G)I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you ^(H)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that ^[a](I)I am He, ^(J)you will die in your sins.” ²⁵ So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “^[b]What have I been saying to you from the beginning? ²⁶ I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but ^(K)He who sent Me is true; and ^(L)the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” ²⁷ They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you ^(M)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^[c](N)I am He, and ^(O)I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me; ^(P)He ^[d]has not left Me alone, for ^(Q)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” ³⁰ As He spoke these things, ^(R)many came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Make You Free

³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^(S)If you continue in My word, then you are truly ^(T)disciples of Mine; ³² and ^(U)you will know the truth, and ^(V)the truth will make you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “^(W)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(X)everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. ^35 (Y)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(Z)the son does remain forever. ³⁶ So if the Son ^(AA)makes you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are ^(AB)Abraham’s descendants; yet ^(AC)you seek to kill Me, because My word ^[e]has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak the things which I have seen ^[f]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^(AD)your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^(AE)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “^(AF)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, ^(AG)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^(AH)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of ^(AI)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; ^(AJ)we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^(AK)you would love Me, ^(AL)for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have ^(AM)not even come on My own initiative, but ^[g](AN)He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand ^[h](AO)what I am saying? It is because you cannot ^(AP)hear My word. ^44 (AQ)You are of ^(AR)your father the devil, and ^(AS)you want to do the desires of your father. ^(AT)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^(AU)there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks ^[i]a lie, he ^(AV)speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of ^[j]lies. ⁴⁵ But because ^(AW)I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^(AX)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (AY)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48 (AZ)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a ^(BA)Samaritan and ^(BB)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not ^(BC)have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ But ^(BD)I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone ^(BE)keeps My word he will never ^(BF)see death.” ^52 (BG)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(BH)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone ^(BI)keeps My word, he will never ^(BJ)taste of death.’ ⁵³ Surely You ^(BK)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “^(BL)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^(BM)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; ⁵⁵ and ^(BN)you have not come to know Him, ^(BO)but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^(BP)a liar like you, ^(BQ)but I do know Him and ^(BR)keep His word. ^56 (BS)Your father Abraham ^(BT)rejoiced ^[k]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” ^57 (BU)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham ^[l]was born, ^(BV)I am.” ⁵⁹ Therefore they ^(BW)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^[m](BX)hid Himself and went out of the temple.