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 us 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 were grieved because of 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 have 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."

1. A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.

2. The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

3. When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.

4. His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

5. Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her servant to get it.

6. She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

7. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"

8. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go."The young woman went and called the child's mother.

9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages."The woman took the child, and nursed it.

10. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

11. In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.

12. He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13. He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"

14. He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?"Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is known."

15. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17. The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18. When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"

19. They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."

20. He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."

21. Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.

22. She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."

23. In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of ISRAEL sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

24. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25. God saw the children of ISRAEL, and God was concerned about them.

1. Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, "This is what The LORD, the God of ISRAEL, says, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'"

2. Pharaoh said, "Who is The LORD, that I should listen to his voice to let ISRAEL go? I don't know The LORD, and moreover I will not let ISRAEL go."

3. They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to The LORD, our God, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword."

4. The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"

5. Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens."

6. The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7. "You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8. The number of the bricks, which they made before, you require from them. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

9. Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it; and don't let them pay any attention to lying words."

10. The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you straw.

11. Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.'"

12. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

13. The taskmasters were urgent saying, "Fulfill your work quota daily, as when there was straw!"

14. The officers of the children of ISRAEL, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"

15. Then the officers of the children of ISRAEL came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?

16. No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, 'Make brick!' and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people."

17. But he said, "You are idle! You are idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to The LORD.'

18. Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given to you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!"

19. The officers of the children of ISRAEL saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, "You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!"

20. They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came out from Pharaoh:

21. and they said to them, "May the LORD look at you, and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

22. Moses returned to The LORD, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?

23. For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; and you have not rescued your people at all."

18. The fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river."'"

19. The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'"

20. Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

21. The fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians couldn't drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.