Exodus · Bible in Basic English
Exodus 1 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
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 offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.
5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
6 Joseph died, as did 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.
7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
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.
10 Come, let’s 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 escape 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.
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities 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.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel.
13 And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
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.
14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
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),
15 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,
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.
16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
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.
17 But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
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?
18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”
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.
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20 And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.
20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.
21 Because the midwives feared 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.
22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Puah
One of the two Hebrew midwives who feared God and refused Pharaoh's order to kill the Hebrew boys, and whom God rewarded with families of their own.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 1:15–21
Shiphrah
One of the two Hebrew midwives who feared God and refused Pharaoh's order to kill the Hebrew boys, and whom God rewarded with families of their own.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 1:15–21
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 46:8–26; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2; Genesis 35:23–26; Exodus 6:14–16; Genesis 49:3–27
- 2 Genesis 35:22
- 3 Exodus 28:20; Genesis 35:23
- 5 Deuteronomy 10:22; Genesis 46:26–27; Judges 8:30; Exodus 1:20
- 6 Genesis 50:26; Acts 7:14–16; Genesis 50:24
- 7 Genesis 46:3; Deuteronomy 26:5; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 9:1
- 8 Acts 7:18; Ecclesiastes 2:18–19; Ecclesiastes 9:15
- 9 Psalm 105:24–25; James 3:14–16; Ecclesiastes 4:4; Proverbs 14:28; Proverbs 27:4
- 10 Acts 7:19; Psalm 83:3–4; Proverbs 1:11; Psalm 105:25; Psalm 10:2
- 11 Genesis 15:13; Genesis 47:11; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 2:11; Deuteronomy 26:6
- 12 Psalm 105:24; Exodus 1:9; Romans 8:28; Acts 5:28–33; Acts 4:2–4
- 13 Deuteronomy 4:20
- 14 Acts 7:19; Numbers 20:15; Exodus 2:23; Exodus 6:9; Acts 7:34
- 16 Exodus 1:22; Matthew 21:38
- 17 Acts 5:29; Exodus 1:21; Luke 12:5; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Matthew 10:28
- 18 Ecclesiastes 8:4; 2 Samuel 13:28
- 19 Joshua 2:4–24; 2 Samuel 17:19–20; 1 Samuel 21:2
- 20 Isaiah 3:10; Ecclesiastes 8:12; Proverbs 11:18; Psalm 111:5; Exodus 1:12
- 21 1 Kings 11:38; 1 Samuel 2:35; Psalm 37:3; Ecclesiastes 8:12; 2 Samuel 7:27–29
- 22 Acts 7:19; Proverbs 1:16; Psalm 105:25; Proverbs 4:16; Revelation 16:4–6
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… power rigorously upon the children of Israel; and they made life bitter to them by severe labours, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field which they did, by all the works in which they oppressed them with rigour." And with immense labour they built for them fenced cities, increasing the substance of these …
And again, did not that very nation, when making bricks in Egypt, also serve hard rulers, not only in gold and silver, but also in clay? If you were never in bondage to any man, ungrateful people, why is it that God is continually reminding you that He delivered you from the house of bondage?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)