Exodus 1:1–2:25

Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

1 Now athese are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those 1who were descendants of Jacob were bseventy 2persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And cJoseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 dBut the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and 3grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ewho did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and fmightier than we; 10 gcome, let us hdeal 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 Therefore they set taskmasters over them ito afflict them with their jburdens. And they built for Pharaoh ksupply cities, Pithom land Raamses. 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 made the children of Israel mserve with 4rigor. 14 And they nmade their lives bitter with hard bondage—oin 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 the king of Egypt spoke to the pHebrew 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 qson, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives rfeared God, and did not do sas 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 tthe midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they 5are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

20 uTherefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and 6grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, vthat He 7provided households for them.

22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, w“Every son who is 8born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Moses is Born

2 And aa man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And bwhen she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of cbulrushes for him, daubed it with dasphalt and epitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds fby the river’s bank. 4 gAnd his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

5 Then the hdaughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became iher son. So she called his name 1Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

11 Now it came to pass in those days, jwhen Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he kkilled the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And lwhen he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men mwere fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

14 Then he said, n“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses ofeared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But pMoses fled from 2the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of qMidian; and he sat down by ra well.

16 sNow the priest of Midian had seven daughters. tAnd they came and drew water, and they filled the utroughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the vshepherds came and wdrove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and xwatered their flock.

18 When they came to yReuel 3their father, zhe said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may aeat bread.”

21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave bZipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name cGershom, 4for he said, “I have been da 5stranger in a foreign land.”

23 Now it happened ein the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel fgroaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and gtheir cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God hheard their groaning, and God iremembered His jcovenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God klooked upon the children of Israel, and God lacknowledged them.