¶¹Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

Reuben², Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Issachar³, Zebulun, and Benjamin⁴,

Dan⁵, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher⁶.

And all the souls that came out of the loins⁷ of Jacob were seventy⁸ souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

⁹And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

And the children of Israel were fruitful¹⁰, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

¶ Now there arose up a new king¹¹ over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

And he said unto his people, Behold, the people¹² of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

¶ Come on¹³, let us deal wisely¹⁴ with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict¹⁵ them with their burdens¹⁶. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses¹⁷.

But the more¹⁸ they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved¹⁹ because of the children of Israel.

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

And they made their lives²⁰ bitter with hard bondage, in morter²¹, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour²².

¶ And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives²³, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah²⁴, and the name of the other Puah²⁵:

And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them²⁶ upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall²⁷ kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

But the midwives feared God²⁸, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have²⁹ ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

³⁰And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

¶ Therefore God³¹ dealt well with the midwives: and the people³² multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them³³ houses.

And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son³⁴ that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.