Exodus 1:18

New King James Version

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?"

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The king of Mitzrayim called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?"

King James Version
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Lexham English Bible
And the king of Egypt summoned the midwives, and he said to them, "Why have you done this thing and let the boys live?"

New Century Version
Then the king of Egypt sent for the nurses and said, "Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?"

New English Translation
Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"

Amplified Bible
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and allowed the boy babies to live?"

New American Standard Bible
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the King of Egypt called for the midwiues, and sayde vnto them, Why haue yee done thus, and haue preserued aliue the men children?

Legacy Standard Bible
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?"

Contemporary English Version
The king called them in again and asked, "Why are you letting those baby boys live?"

Complete Jewish Bible
(ii) The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"

Darby Translation
And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have ye done this, and saved the male children alive?

Easy-to-Read Version
The king of Egypt called for the nurses and asked them, "Why did you do this? Why did you let the baby boys live?"

English Standard Version
So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"

George Lamsa Translation
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?

Good News Translation
So the king sent for the midwives and asked them, "Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the boys live?"

Christian Standard Bible®
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?”

Literal Translation
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?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the kynge of Egipte called the mydwyues, and sayde vnto them: Wherfore do ye this, that ye let the children lyue?

American Standard Version
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?

Bible in Basic English
And the king of Egypt sent for the women, and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children go on living?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the kyng of Egypt called for the mydwyfes, and sayde vnto them: why haue ye dealt on this maner, and haue saued the men chyldren?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them: 'Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?'

King James Version (1611)
And the King of Egypt called for the midwiues, & said vnto them, Why haue ye done this thing, and haue saued the men children aliue?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive?

English Revised Version
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Berean Standard Bible
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whiche clepid to hym the kyng seide, What is this thing which ye wolden do, that ye wolden kepe the children?

Young's Literal Translation
and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, `Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'

Update Bible Version
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the male-children alive?

World English Bible
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?"

New Living Translation
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. "Why have you done this?" he demanded. "Why have you allowed the boys to live?"

New Life Bible
So the king of Egypt called the nurses and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the boys live?"

New Revised Standard
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then called the king of Egypt for the midwives, and said to them - Wherefore have ye done this thing, that ye should let the male children live?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king called for them and said: What is it that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?

Revised Standard Version
So the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?"

Contextual Overview

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 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 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 and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" ¹⁹ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them." ²⁰ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. ²¹ And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. ²² 22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born [fn] you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why have: 2 Samuel 13:28, Ecclesiastes 8:4

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name):

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king called for the midwives,.... Perceiving, by the increase of the Israelites, that they did not obey his commands:

and said unto them, why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? not only did not kill them, but did everything for them that was necessary for their future preservation and health; see

Ezekiel 16:4.