Exodus 1

Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1 Now these are the 1names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one [a]with his household:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 All the [b]persons who came from the loins of Jacob were 2seventy [c]in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 3Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
7 But the sons of Israel 4were fruitful and [d]increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly [e]mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Now a new 5king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 6He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are [f]more and mightier than we.
10 "Come, let us 7deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and [g]in the event * * of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and [h]depart from the land."
11 So they appointed 8taskmasters * over them to afflict them with [i]9hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh 10storage cities, Pithom and 11Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, 12the more they multiplied and the more they [j]spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.
13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel 13to labor rigorously;
14 and they made 14their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously [k]imposed on them.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom [l]was named Shiphrah and the other [m]was named Puah;
16 and he said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, 15if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
17 But the midwives [n]16feared God, and 17did not do as the king of Egypt had [o]commanded them, but let the boys live.
18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?"
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife [p]can get to them."
20 So 18God was good to the midwives, and 19the people multiplied, and became very [q]mighty.
21 Because the midwives [r]20feared God, He [s]21established [t]households for them.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "22Every son who is born [u]you are to cast into 23the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive."

Cross References 23

  • 1. Genesis 46:8-27
  • 2. Genesis 46:26, 27; Deuteronomy 10:22
  • 3. Genesis 50:26
  • 4. Genesis 12:2; Genesis 28:3; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 46:3; Genesis 47:27; Genesis 48:4; Deuteronomy 26:5; Psalms 105:24; Acts 7:17
  • 5. Acts 7:18, 19
  • 6. Psalms 105:24, 25
  • 7. Acts 7:19
  • 8. Genesis 15:13; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 5:6
  • 9. Exodus 1:14; Exodus 2:11; Exodus 5:4-9; Exodus 6:6
  • 10. 1 Kings 9:19; 2 Chronicles 8:4
  • 11. Genesis 47:11
  • 12. Exodus 1:7
  • 13. Genesis 15:13; Deuteronomy 4:20
  • 14. Exodus 2:23; Exodus 6:9; Numbers 20:15; Acts 7:19
  • 15. Acts 7:19
  • 16. Exodus 1:21; Proverbs 16:6
  • 17. Acts 4:18-20; Acts 5:29
  • 18. Proverbs 11:18; Ecclesiastes 8:12; Hebrews 6:10
  • 19. Exodus 1:12; Isaiah 3:10
  • 20. Exodus 1:17
  • 21. 1 Samuel 2:35; 2 Samuel 7:11, 27; 1 Kings 2:24; 1 Kings 11:38
  • 22. Acts 7:19
  • 23. Genesis 41:1

Footnotes 21

Exodus 1 Commentaries

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