Exodus 1

Jacob’s Family in Egypt

1When Jacob (Israel) went to Egypt, his sons and their families went with him. Here are the names of those sons: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5Another son, Joseph, was already in Egypt. So Jacob’s whole family was with him in Egypt—70 descendants in all.

6Later, Joseph, his brothers, and all the people of that generation died. 7But the Israelites had many children, and their number grew until the country of Egypt was filled with them.

Trouble for the Israelites

8Then a new king began to rule Egypt. He did not know Joseph. 9This king said to his people, “Look at the Israelites. There are too many of them, and they are stronger than we are! 10We must make plans to stop them from growing stronger. If there is a war, they might join our enemies, defeat us, and escape from the land!”

11The Egyptians decided to make life hard for the Israelites, so they put slave masters over the people. These masters forced the Israelites to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses for the king. The king used these cities to store grain and other things.

12The Egyptians forced the Israelites to work harder and harder. But the harder they worked, the more they grew and spread, and the more the Egyptians became afraid of them. 13So the Egyptians made them work even harder.

14They made life hard for the Israelites. They forced the Israelites to work hard at making bricks and mortar and to work hard in the fields. The Egyptians showed no mercy in all the hard work they made the Israelites do!

The Nurses Who Followed God

15There were two Hebrew#1:15 Hebrew Or “Israelite.” This name might also mean “descendants of Eber” (read Gen. 10:25–31) or “people from beyond the Euphrates River.” Also in verse 19. nurses who helped the Israelite women give birth. They were named Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to the nurses, 16“You will continue to help the Hebrew women give birth to their children. If a girl baby is born, let the baby live. But if the baby is a boy, you must kill him!”

17But the nurses trusted#1:17 trusted Literally, “feared” or “respected.” Also in verses 20-21. God, so they did not obey the king’s command. They let all the baby boys live.

18The king of Egypt called for the nurses and asked them, “Why did you do this? Why did you let the baby boys live?”

19The nurses said to the king, “The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can go to help them.” 20-21The nurses trusted God, so he was good to them and allowed them to have their own families.

The Hebrews continued to have more children, and they became very strong. 22So Pharaoh gave this command to his own people: “If the Hebrew women give birth to a baby girl, let it live. But if they have a baby boy, you must throw it into the Nile River.”

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Exodus 1: ERV

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Exodus 1

Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt

1 # For ver. 1-4, see Gen. 35:23-26; 46:8-26 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the descendants of Jacob were #Gen. 46:27; Deut. 10:22seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Then #Gen. 50:26Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7#Deut. 26:5; Acts 7:17; [Gen. 46:3]But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, #Cited Acts 7:18who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, “Behold, #Ps. 105:24the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10#Ps. 83:3, 4 Come, #Ps. 105:25; Acts 7:19let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them #ch. 3:7; Gen. 15:13; Deut. 26:6 to afflict them with heavy #ch. 2:11; 5:4, 5; 6:6, 7; Ps. 81:6 burdens. They built for Pharaoh #[2 Chr. 16:4] store cities, Pithom and #[ch. 12:37; Gen. 47:11]Raamses. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel #See ch. 5:7-19work as slaves 14and #[ch. 2:23; 6:9; Num. 20:15; Acts 7:19, 34]made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17But the midwives #Prov. 16:6; [Dan. 3:16-18; 6:13; Acts 5:29]feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children 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 comes to them.” 20#[Eccles. 8:12]So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, #[1 Sam. 2:35; 2 Sam. 7:11, 27; 1 Kgs. 2:24; 11:38; Ps. 127:1]he gave them families. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, #Acts 7:19 “Every son that is born to the Hebrews#1:22 Samaritan, Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew lacks to the Hebrews you shall cast into #Gen. 41:1the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

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