New Living Translation

New King James Version

The Israelites in Egypt

These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family:

1

Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:

2

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

2

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

3

Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

3

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

4

Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

4

Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5

In all, Jacob had seventya descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there.

5

All those [a]who were descendants of Jacob were seventy[b] persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).

6

In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation.

6

And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.

7

But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

7

But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and [c]grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8

Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

8

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9

He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.

9

And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;

10

We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.b”

10

come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”

11

So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.

11

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12

But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became.

12

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.

13

So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.

13

So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with [d]rigor.

14

They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

14

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage — in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

15

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:

15

Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;

16

“When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver.c If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

16

and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

17

But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

17

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

18

So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”

18

So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

19

“The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”

19

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they [e]are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

20

So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.

20

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and [f]grew very mighty.

21

And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

21

And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He [g]provided households for them.

22

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”

22

So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is [h]born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Exodus 1

Exodus 1