Êxodo 1

Dette er Navnene på Israels Sønner, der sammen med Jakob kom til Ægypten med deres Familier:

Ruben, Simeon, Levi og Juda,

Issakar, Zebulon og Benjamin,

Dan og Naftali, Gad og Aser.

Jakobs Efterkommere udgjorde i alt halvfjerdsindstyve, men Josef var i Ægypten.

Imidlertid døde Josef og alle hans Brødre og hele dette Slægtled.

Men Israeliterne var frugtbare og formerede sig, og de blev mange og overmåde talrige, så at Landet blev fuldt af dem.

Da kom der en ny Konge over Ægypten, som ikke vidste noget om Josef;

Så satte man Fogeder over dem til at plage dem med Trællearbejde, og de måtte bygge Forrådsbyer for Farao: Pitom og Ra'amses.

Men jo mere man plagede dem, des flere blev de, og des mere bredte de sig, så Ægypterne fik Rædsel for Israeliterne.

Og Ægypterne tvang Israeliterne til Trællearbejde

og gjorde dem Livet bittert ved hårdt Arbejde med Ler og Tegl og alle Hånde Markarbejde, ved alt det Arbejde, de tvang dem til at udføre for sig.

Ægypterkongen sagde da til Hebræerkvindernes Jordemødre, af hvilke den ene hed Sjifra, den anden Pua:

Når I forløser Hebræerkvinderne, skal I se godt efter ved Fødselen, og er det et Drengebarn, tag så Livet af det, men er det et Pigebarn, lad det så leve!

Men Jordemødrene frygtede Gud og gjorde ikke, som Ægypterkongen havde befalet dem, men lod Drengebørnene leve.

Og Gud gjorde vel imod Jordemødrene, og Folket blev stort og såre talrigt;

og Gud gav Jordemødrene Afkom, fordi de frygtede ham.

Now these {are} the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt {already}. {loins: Heb. thigh}

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel {are} more and mightier than we:

Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and {so} get them up out of the land.

Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. {But...: Heb. And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied, etc}

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, {was} with rigour.

And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one {was} Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see {them} upon the stools; if it {be} a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it {be} a daughter, then she shall live.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women {are} not as the Egyptian women; for they {are} lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.