The children of Israel multiply—They are placed in bondage by Egyptians—Pharaoh seeks to destroy sons born to Hebrew women.

 NOW these are the ^anames^• of the ^bchildren^• of Israel, which came ^cinto^{• d}Egypt^•; every man and his household came with Jacob.

 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

 And all the souls that came out of the loins of ^aJacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

 And ^aJoseph^• died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

 ¶ And the children of Israel were ^afruitful^•, and ^bincreased^• abundantly, and multiplied, and ^cwaxed^• exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

 Now there arose up a new ^aking^• over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are ^amore^• and ^bmightier^• than we:

 Come on, let us deal ^awisely^• with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there ^bfalleth^• out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

 Therefore they did set over them ^ataskmasters^• to afflict them with their ^bburdens^•. And they built for Pharaoh ^ctreasure^• cities, Pithom and ^dRaamses^•.

 But the more they afflicted them, the more they ^amultiplied^• and grew. And they were ^bgrieved^• because of the children of Israel.

 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

 And they made their lives bitter with hard ^abondage^•, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

 ¶ And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

 And he said, When ye ^ado^• the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the ^bstools^•; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

 But the midwives ^afeared^• God, and did not as the king of Egypt ^bcommanded^• them, but saved the men children alive.

 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?

 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are ^adelivered^• ere the midwives come in unto them.

 Therefore God dealt ^awell^• with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.

 And it came to pass, because the midwives ^afeared^• God, that he made them ^bhouses^•.

 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is ^aborn^• ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.