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Exodus 1
I. THE LIBERATION FROM EGYPT
1. ISRAEL IN EGYPT
The prosperity of the Hebrews in Egypt
The prosperity of the Hebrews in Egypt
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went with Jacob to Egypt, each with his family:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin,
5 In all, the descendants of Jacob numbered seventy persons. Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Then Joseph died, and his brothers, and all that generation.
7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and grew in numbers greatly; they increased and grew so immensely powerful that they filled the land.
The Hebrews oppressed
9 ‘Look,’ he said to his subjects ‘these people, the sons of Israel, have become so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us.
10 We must be prudent and take steps against their increasing any further, or if war should break out, they might add to the number of our enemies. They might take arms against us and so escape out of the country.’
11 Accordingly they put slave-drivers over the Israelites to wear them down under heavy loads. In this way they built the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses[*a] for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were crushed, the more they increased and spread, and men came to dread the sons of Israel.
13 The Egyptians forced the sons of Israel into slavery,
14 and made their lives unbearable with hard labour, work with clay and with brick, all kinds of work in the fields; they forced on them every kind of labour.
15 The king of Egypt then spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other Puah.
16 ‘When you midwives attend Hebrew women,’ he said ‘watch the two stones[*b] carefully. If it is a boy, kill him; if a girl, let her live.’
17 But the midwives were God-fearing: they disobeyed the command of the king of Egypt and let the boys live.
18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives. ‘Why’ he asked them ‘have you done this and spared the boys?’
19 ‘The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women,’ they answered Pharaoh ‘they are hardy, and they give birth before the midwife reaches them.’
20 God was kind to the midwives. The people went on increasing and grew very powerful;
21 since the midwives reverenced God he granted them descendants.
22 Pharaoh then gave his subjects this command: ‘Throw all the boys born to the Hebrews into the river, but let all the girls live’.