1 These are the names of the children of Israel who entered Egypt with Jacob, each with his respective family:
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2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 In all, Jacob's descendants were seventy; Joseph, however, was already in Egypt.
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6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and that entire generation died.
7 The Israelites, however, were fertile, proliferated, became numerous and became very strong, so much so that they filled the country.
8 Then a new king ascended to the throne of Egypt, who knew nothing about Joseph.
9 He said to his people: “Look! The Israelite people are now numerous and stronger than us.
10 We must act cunningly, so that they do not become even more numerous and, in the event of war, they ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and flee the country.”
11 They therefore established forced labor chiefs over them, to oppress them with heavy tasks. And so the Israelites built the granary cities of Pithom and Ramesses for Pharaoh.
12 However, the more they were oppressed, the more numerous they became and the more they spread. This is why the Egyptians began to fear the Israelites,
13 and subjected them to cruel slavery.
14 They made their lives bitter, imposing on them the arduous task of preparing clay and making bricks, and carrying out all types of agricultural work; In everything, the Egyptians subjected them to cruel slavery.
15 The king of Egypt commanded the midwives of the Hebrews, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah:
16 “When you help the Hebrew women to give birth, check to see if it is a boy. If so, kill him; If it’s a girl, let her live.”
17 However, the midwives feared God and did not obey the orders of the king of Egypt; they let the boys live.
18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why did you do this? Why did they let the boys live? “
19 Pharaoh's midwives replied: “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. They are full of vigor and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 God was kind to the midwives; and the people became even more numerous, stronger and stronger.
21 Because the midwives feared God, he granted them to have families of their own.
22 That is why Pharaoh ordered all his people: “Throw every newborn boy into the Nile, but let the girls live.”
