Israel’s Life in Egypt

1 And after Jacob died the children of Israel multiplied in the land of Egypt, and they became a great nation, and they were united in heart, so that brother loved brother and every man helped his brother, and they increased abundantly and multiplied greatly, ten weeks of years, all the days of the life of Joseph [2242]. 2 And there was no Satan nor any evil all the days of the life of Joseph which he lived after his father Jacob, for all the Egyptians honored the children of Israel all the days of the life of Joseph. 3 And Joseph died being a hundred and ten years old; seventeen years he lived in the land of Canaan, and ten years he was a servant, and three years in prison, and eighty years he was under the king, ruling all the land of Egypt. 4 And he died and all his brothers and all that generation. 5 And he commanded the children of Israel before he died that they should carry his bones with them when they went out from the land of Egypt.⁠a 6 And he made them swear regarding his bones, for he knew that the Egyptians would not again bring out and bury him in the land of Canaan, for Makamaron, king of Canaan, while dwelling in the land of Assyria, fought in the valley with the king of Egypt and killed him there,⁠b and pursued the Egyptians to the gates of 'Ermon. 7 But he was not able to enter, for another, a new king, had become king of Egypt, and he was stronger than he, and he returned to the land of Canaan, and the gates of Egypt were closed, and none went out and none came into Egypt. 8 And Joseph died in the forty-sixth jubilee, in the sixth week, in the second year [2242], and they buried him in the land of Egypt, and all his brothers died after him. 9 And the king of Egypt went out to war with the king of Canaan in the forty-seventh jubilee, in the second week in the second year [2263], and the children of Israel brought out all the bones of the children of Jacob except the bones of Joseph, and they buried them in the field in the double cave in the mountain.⁠c 10 And most (of them) returned to Egypt, but a few of them remained in the mountains of Hebron, and Amram your father remained with them.⁠d 11 And the king of Canaan was victorious over the king of Egypt, and he closed the gates of Egypt.

The Beginning of Egyptian Oppression

12 And he devised an evil plan to oppress the children of Israel and he said to the people of Egypt: 13 'Look, the people of the children of Israel have increased and multiplied more than we. Come and let us deal wisely with them before they become too many, and let us afflict them with slavery before war comes upon us and before they too fight against us; else they will join themselves to our enemies and go up out of our land, for their hearts and faces are toward the land of Canaan.' 14 And he set over them taskmasters to afflict them with slavery; and they built strong cities for Pharaoh, Pithom, and Raamses and they built all the walls and all the fortifications which had fallen in the cities of Egypt. 15 And they made them work harshly, and the more they mistreated them, the more they increased and multiplied. 16 And the people of Egypt detested the children of Israel