King James Version, Updated™

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which 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 that came out of the loins of Jacob were 70 souls, for Joseph was already in Egypt.

(6) And Joseph died, and 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 up a new king over Egypt, which did not 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 comes to pass, that, when there is a war, they join with our enemies, and fight against us, and then go up out of the land."

(11) Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

(13) And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.

(14) They made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service, in which they made them serve, was with rigor.

(15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah.

(16) And he said, "When YOU act as a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the stools, 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 do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but allowed the male children to live.

(18) So the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have YOU done this thing, and allowed the male children to live?"

(19) The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they bear children quickly and easily, and are delivered before the midwives come in to them."

(20) Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.

(21) It came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.

(22) Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born YOU shall cast into the river, and every daughter YOU shall allow to live."