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¹ These are ye names of the childre of Israel, that came with Iacob into Egipte: euery one came in wt his house,² Ruben, Simeon, Leui, Iuda,³ Isachar, Zabulo, Ben Iamin,⁴ Dan, Nephtali, Gad and Aser.⁵ And of all the soules that came out of the loynes of Iacob, there were seuentie. As for Ioseph, he was in Egipte all ready.⁶ Now wha Ioseph was deed, and all his brethren, and all they that lyued at that tyme,⁷ the children of Israel grewe, and increased, and multiplied, and became exceadinge mightie, so yt the lande was full of them.

⁸ The came there a new kynge ouer Egipte, which knewe nothinge of Ioseph,⁹ and sayde vnto his people: Beholde, the people of the children of Israel are many, & mightier then we:¹⁰ Vp, let vs deale wysely with them, yt there be not so many of them. For yf there shulde ryse vp eny warre agaynst vs, they might ioyne them selues also vnto oure enemies, and ouercome vs, & so get them out of the lande.¹¹ And he set worke masters ouer them, to kepe them vnder with burthens. (For they buylded the cities Phiton and Raemses, for treasuries vnto Pharao.)¹² But the more they vexed them, the more they multiplied and grew.Therfore had they indignacio at the children of Israel,¹³ and the Egipcians compelled the children of Israel without mercy to do seruyce,¹⁴ and made their lyues bytter vnto them with greuous laboure in claye and brycke, and with allmaner of bondage in ye felde, and with allmaner of laboure, which they layed vpon them without mercy.

¹⁵ And the kynge of Egipte sayde vnto the mydwyues of the Hebrueswemen. (Of the which one was called Siphra, and the other Pua:)¹⁶ Whan ye helpe the wemen of the Hebrues, and se vpon the stole, that it is a sonne, then slaye him: but yf it be a doughter, let her lyue.¹⁷ Neuertheles the mydwyues feared God, & dyd not as the kinge of Egipte commaunded them, but let the children lyue.¹⁸ Then the kynge of Egipte called the mydwyues, and sayde vnto them: Wherfore do ye this, that ye let the children lyue?¹⁹ The mydwyues answered Pharao: The wemen of the Hebrues are not as the wemen of Egipte, for they are sturdy wemen: or euer the mydwyues come at them, they are delyuered.²⁰ Therfore God dealt well with the mydwyues. And the people multiplied, and became exceadinge mightie.²¹ And for so moch as the mydwyues feared God, he made them houses.²² Then Pharao commauded all his people and sayde: All the sonnes that are borne, cast in to the water, but let all the doughters lyue.