1 En dit is die name van die seuns van Israel wat in Egipte gekom het; saam met Jakob het hulle gekom, elkeen met sy huisgesin:
2 Ruben, S¡meon, Levi en Juda;
3 Issaskar, S,bulon en Benjamin;
4 Dan en N ftali, Gad en Aser.
5 En al die siele wat uit Jakob se lende voortgekom het, was sewentig siele. Maar Josef was in Egipte.
6 En Josef het gesterwe, en al sy broers en daardie hele geslag.
7 Maar die kinders van Israel was vrugbaar en het baie geword, en hulle het vermeerder en buitengewoon magtig geword, sodat die land vol was van hulle.
8 Toe staan daar 'n nuwe koning oor Egipte op wat niks van Josef geweet het nie.
9 Di, het aan sy volk gesê: Kyk, die volk van die kinders van Israel is meer en magtiger as ons.
10 Kom, laat ons 'n slim plan teen hulle beraam, sodat hulle nie kan vermeerder nie, en as ons in oorlog geraak, hulle ook nie by ons vyande aansluit en teen ons veg en uit die land optrek nie.
11 Daar is toe opsigters van dwangarbeid oor hulle aangestel om hulle met harde arbeid te verdruk. En hulle het vir Farao die voorraadstede Pitom en Raämses gebou.
12 Maar hoe meer hulle verdruk is, hoe meer het hulle vermenigvuldig en hulle uitgebrei, sodat hulle bang geword het vir die kinders van Israel.
13 Daarom het die Egiptenaars die kinders van Israel met hardheid laat dien
14 en hulle lewe verbitter deur swaar werk met klei en bakstene en deur allerhande werk in die landerye -- al die werk wat hulle met hardheid deur hulle laat verrig het.
15 En die koning van Egipte het met die Hebreeuse vroedvroue -- die een se naam was Sifra en die ander se naam Pua -- gespreek
16 en gesê: As julle die Hebreeuse vroue by 'n geboorte help, moet julle na die geboortestoel kyk: as dit 'n seun is, maak hom dood; maar is dit 'n dogter, laat haar lewe.
17 Maar die vroedvroue het God gevrees en nie gedoen soos die koning van Egipte aan hulle gesê het nie, maar die seuntjies laat lewe.
18 Toe laat die koning van Egipte die vroedvroue roep, en hy sê vir hulle: Waarom het julle dit gedoen en die seuntjies laat lewe?
19 En die vroedvroue sê vir Farao: Die Hebreeuse vroue is nie soos die Egiptiese nie, want hulle is sterk -- voordat die vroedvrou by hulle kom, het hulle al gebaar.
20 Maar God het aan die vroedvroue weldadigheid bewys. En die volk het vermenigvuldig en baie magtig geword.
21 En omdat die vroedvroue God gevrees het, het Hy huisgesinne aan hulle geskenk.
22 Toe gee Farao aan sy hele volk bevel en sê: Al die seuns wat gebore word, moet julle in die Nyl werp, maar al die dogters kan julle laat lewe.
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 All the offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.
6 Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
8 Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:
10 Let us take care for fear that their numbers may become even greater, and if there is a war, they may be joined with those who are against us, and make an attack on us, and go up out of the land.
11 So they put overseers of forced work over them, in order to make their strength less by the weight of their work. And they made store-towns for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more cruel they were to them, the more their number increased, till all the land was full of them. And the children of Israel were hated by the Egyptians.
13 And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:
14 And made their lives bitter with hard work, making building-material and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest conditions.
15 And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew women who gave help at the time of childbirth (the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah),
16 When you are looking after the Hebrew women in childbirth, if it is a son you are to put him to death; but if it is a daughter, she may go on living.
17 But the women had the fear of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt said, but let the male children go on living.
18 And the king of Egypt sent for the women, and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children go on living?
19 And they said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are strong, and the birth takes place before we come to them.
20 And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.
21 And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.
22 And Pharaoh gave orders to all his people, saying, Every son who comes to birth is to be put into the river, but every daughter may go on living.