Exodus 1:10–22

¹⁰Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, if war occur, they take side with our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land. ¹¹And they set over them service-masters to oppress them with their burdens. And they built store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses. ¹²But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and spread; and they were distressed because of the children of Israel. ¹³And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness; ¹⁴and they embittered their life with hard labour in clay and bricks, and in all manner of labour in the field: all their labour with which they made them serve was with harshness.

¹⁵And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives—of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other was Puah— ¹⁶and he said, When ye help the Hebrew women in bearing, and see them on the stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if a daughter, then she shall live. ¹⁷But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive. ¹⁸And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have ye done this, and saved the male children alive? ¹⁹And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them. ²⁰And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. ²¹And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. ²²Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, but every daughter ye shall save alive.