1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt. Each man and his household had come with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 And all the people coming out of the thigh of Jacob were 70 people. As for Joseph, he was in Egypt. 6 And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 And the sons of Israel had been fruitful, and they abounded, and multiplied, and were very, very mighty, and the land was filled with them. 8 And there rose a new king over Egypt, who had not known Joseph, 9 and he said to his people, “Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more numerous and mighty than we. 10 Give help! Let us act wisely concerning it, lest they multiply, and it comes to pass, when war happens, that they join, even them, to those hating us, and will fight against us, and will go up out of the land.” 11 And they set princes of tribute over them, so as to afflict them with their burdens, and they built the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. 12 And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied, and so they broke out, and they were distressed because of the sons of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians caused the sons of Israel to serve with rigor, 14 and made their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every kind of service in the field. All their service in which they had served was with rigor. 15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives, the Hebrewesses (of whom the name of the first was Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah), 16 and said, “When you cause the Hebrew women to give birth, and have looked on the children, if it is a son, then put him to death. And if it is a daughter, then she must live.” 17 And the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them, and they kept the boys alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and kept the boys alive?” 19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively. Before the midwife comes to them—they have given birth!” 20 And God did good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and were very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives had feared God, that He made households for them. 22 And Pharaoh laid a charge on all his people, saying, “Every son who is born—throw him into the River, and every daughter you keep alive.”