Israel Multiplies in Egypt

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

8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are [f]too many and too mighty for us. 10Come, let us deal [g]shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and [h]in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and [i]depart from the land.” 11So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with [j]hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they [k]spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians [l]used violence to compel the sons of Israel to labor; 14and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.

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