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, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 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 didn’t know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 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 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 out. They started to dread the children of Israel. 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 kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve. 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 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 didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys 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 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 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 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.”
Exodus · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Exodus 1 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
People & places in this chapter
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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)