English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
1
These are the names of the Israelites who went to Egypt with Jacob, each bringing his family members:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
3
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
4
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt.
5
Seventy persons in all generated by Jacob's seed. Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
6
Then Joseph died, and all his brothers - that whole generation.
7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
7
But the children of Israel kept on reproducing. They were very prolific - a population explosion in their own right - and the land was filled with them. "A New King . . . Who Didn't Know Joseph"
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
8
A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
9
He spoke to his people in alarm, "There are way too many of these Israelites for us to handle.
10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land."
10
We've got to do something: Let's devise a plan to contain them, lest if there's a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us."
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.
11
So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.
12
But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had - children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn't stand the Israelites
13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves
13
and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor.
14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
14
They made them miserable with hard labor - making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields. They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload.
15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
15
The king of Egypt had a talk with the two Hebrew midwives; one was named Shiphrah and the other Puah.
16 "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live."
16
He said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the sex of the baby. If it's a boy, kill him; if it's a girl, let her live."
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
17
But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live.
18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?"
18
The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!"
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."
19
The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby."
20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
20
God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number - a very strong people.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
21
And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live."
22
So Pharaoh issued a general order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, drown him in the Nile. But let the girls live."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.