Exodus 1 · Parashat Shemot

NOW these are the names of the children of Yisra᾽el who came into Miżrayim, with Ya῾aqov; every man came with his household.

Re᾽uven, Shim῾on, Levi, and Yehuda;

Yissakhar, Zevulun, and Binyamin;

Dan, Naftali, Gad, and Asher.

And all the souls that came out of the loins of Ya῾aqov were seventy souls: for Yosef was already in Miżrayim.

And Yosef died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

And the children of Yisra᾽el were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Now there arose a new king over Miżrayim, who knew not Yosef.

And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Yisra᾽el are more and mightier than we:

come, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when any war should chance, they also join our enemies, and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.

Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Par῾o treasure cities, namely Pitom and Ra῾amses.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were mortified on account of the children of Yisra᾽el.

And Miżrayim made the children of Yisra᾽el serve with rigour:

and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of bondage in the field: all their bondage, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

And the king of Miżrayim spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shifra, and the name of the other Pu῾a:

and he said, When you do the office of midwife to the Hebrew women, you shall look upon the birth stones; if it be a son, then you shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

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

And the king of Miżrayim called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and saved the men children alive?

And the midwives said to Par῾o, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Miżrian women; for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwives come to them.

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.

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

And Par῾o charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the River, and every daughter you shall save alive.