Pharaoh Wants the Midwives to Kill the Hebrew Male Babies |
Exodus 1:1-22 The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus |
Now, these are the names of the children of Israel [a.k.a. Jacob who] came with Jacob & their households to Egypt: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad & Asher. |
[All these 70] were the sons Jacob [fathered] & their families: for Joseph was in Egypt already. Joseph, his [brothers] & all that generation died. The children of Israel were fruitful & multiplied & increased abundantly & [grew] exceedingly mighty & the land was filled with them. |
Now there arose a new king over Egypt [who] didn't know Joseph. He said to his people, Behold, people of the children of Israel are more & mightier than we [are.] Come let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply & when [a war breaks out] they join our enemies & fight against us, [so they can leave] the land. |
Therefore they set task masters over the [Israelites] to afflict them with their burdens. They built treasure cities Pithom & Raamses for the Pharaoh. The more they afflicted the [Israelites,] the more they multiplied & grew. |
The [Egyptians] were grieved because of the [Israelites] & made them serve with rigor & made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, brick & all [types] of service in the field, with rigor. |
Then [Egypt's] king, [Pharaoh,] spoke to the Hebrew midwives: Shiphrah & Puah & told them, As a midwife, when you see the Hebrew women on the [birthing] stools & it is a son, you should kill him, but let the daughters live. |
The midwives feared [respected the Lord] God & [didn’t do] what the king commanded [of] them, but saved the [male] children alive. The king of Egypt called for the midwives & said, Why have you done this thing & saved the [male] babies alive? |
[They told the] Pharaoh, The Hebrew women are [more] lively [than] the Egyptian women & have [already given birth before they get] to them. Therefore the Lord God dealt well with the midwives & the [Israelites] multiplied & [grew] very mighty. It [happened,] because the midwives feared [respected] God, that He made them houses. The Pharaoh [commanded] all his people saying, Every [Hebrew] son [who] is born shall be cast into the river & every daughter shall [stay] alive. |