Exodus 1 JPS Tanakh (1917)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Numbers like (22-2) in the text give the Hebrew verse numbering where it differs.
1 NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household:
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 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt already.
5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with 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 there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them 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 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, 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 they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel.
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 the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.
13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.
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 spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom 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 and he said: 'When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.'
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 midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
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 called for the midwives, and said unto them: 'Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?'
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 the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto 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 God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses.
21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
22 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.'
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)