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.”