1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. 7And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that, when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and go up out of the land. 11Therefore they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor: 14and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, in which they made them serve with rigor. 15And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16and he said, When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but kept the male children alive. 18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and have kept the male children alive? 19And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwife comes to them. 20And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21And it happened, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households. 22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive.