New Revised Standard NRS
New International Version NIV
8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
8
Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.
9 He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we.
9
“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land."
10
Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.
11
So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
12
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
13
and worked them ruthlessly.
14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
14
They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
15
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live."
16
“When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”
17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
17
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?"
18
Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.