Exodus 1:8–2:10

⁸Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, ^ewhich knew not Joseph. ⁹And he said unto his people, Behold, ^fthe people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: ^10gCome on, let us ^hdeal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. ¹¹Therefore they did set over them ⁱtaskmasters to afflict them with their ^kburdens. And they built for Pharaoh ^ltreasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. ^12†But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and ^mgrew. And they ⁿwere grieved because of the children of Israel. ¹³And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: ¹⁴And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

¹⁵And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: ¹⁶And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. ¹⁷But the midwives ^ofeared God, and did not ^pas the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. ¹⁸And 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? ¹⁹And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. ^20qTherefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. ²¹And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, ^rthat he made them houses. ²²And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, ^sEvery son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

2And there went ^aa man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. ^2*And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and ^bwhen she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. ³And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark ^cof bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in ^dthe flags by the river’s brink. ⁴And ^ehis sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. ⁵And the ^fdaughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. ⁶And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. ⁷Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? ⁸And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. ⁹And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. ¹⁰And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became ^gher son. And she called his name ^||Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.