Israel in Egypt

1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob; each man came with the men of his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 And all the people descended from Jacob were seventy people, with Joseph who was in Egypt. 6 And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation; 7 but the sons of Israel increased and multiplied, and became great and very mighty, and the land was filled with them. 8 But a new king arose over Egypt who did not fulfill the decrees of Joseph.⁠a 9 And he said to his people, Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are: 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will multiply, and if war comes upon us they will join our enemies and fight against us, and go up from the land. 11 And they appointed evil governors over them to oppress them with their labors. And they built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses. 12 But the more they oppressed them, the more they increased and grew strong, and the Egyptians were troubled because of the sons of Israel; 13 and the Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve harshly, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor, in clay and in brick, and in all kinds of work in the field; all the work they did, they made them do with hardship.

Pharaoh and the Midwives

15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Jewish women, the name of one of whom was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, When you act as midwives among the Jewish women, and you look at the birth, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live. 17 But the midwives stood in fear before the Lord, and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them, but kept the sons alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this and kept the sons alive? 19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, It is because the Jewish women are not like the Egyptian women; they are skilled, and give birth before the midwives come to them. 20 And the Lord did good to the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives stood in fear before the Lord, He made households for them. 22 But Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born to the Jews you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive.