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¹ And these were the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob; they each one came in with his house:² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,⁴ Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.⁵ And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls, Joseph being in Egypt.⁶ And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.⁷ And the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased very much, and multiplied, and became very strong; and the land was filled with them.

⁸ And a new king arose over Egypt, who had not known Joseph.⁹ And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and stronger than we.¹⁰ Come, let us deal craftily towards them, lest they multiply and it shall be that when war occurs they will also add to our enemies, and will fight against us and go up from the land.¹¹ And they put over them slavemasters in order to afflict them with their burdens. And he built store cities for Pharaoh: Pithon and Raamses.¹² And as much as they afflicted them, so much they multiplied and so much they spread. And they were afraid before the sons of Israel.¹³ And Egypt made the sons of Israel to serve with harshness.¹⁴ And they made their lives bitter by hard service, in clay, and in bricks, and in all work in the field; all their work which they made them do with harshness.

¹⁵ And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the second, Puah;¹⁶ and he said, When you midwife the Hebrew women, and look on the birth-stools, if it is a son, you will kill him; and if it is a daughter, it shall live.¹⁷ And the midwives feared God, and they did not do as the king of Egypt said to them. And they kept the male children alive.¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called to the midwives and said to them, Why do you do this thing and keep alive the male children?¹⁹ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous. Before the midwives come to them they bear.²⁰ And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became exceedingly strong.²¹ And it was, because the midwives feared God, He made houses for them.²² And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son that is born, you shall cast him into the river. And you shall keep alive every daughter.