Exodus 1

ve'elleh shemot bene yisra'el habba'im mitsrayemah et ya'aqov ish uveto ba'u

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household:

re'uven shimon levi vihudah

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

yissashkhar zevulun uvinyamin

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

dan venaftali gad ve'asher

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

vayehi kol-nefesh yotse'e yerekh-ya'aqov shivim nafesh veyosef hayah vemitsrayim

The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt.

vayyamot yosef vekhol-ekhayw vekhol haddor hahu

Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.

uvene yisra'el paru vayyishretsu vayyirbu vayya'atsmu bimod me'od vattimmale ha'arets otam

But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them.

vayyaqom melekh-khadash al-mitsrayim asher lo-yada et-yosef

A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.

vayyomer el-ammo hinneh am bene yisra'el rav ve'atsum mimmennu

And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us.

havah nitkhakkemah lo pen-yirbeh vehayah ki-tiqrenah milkhamah venosaf gam-hu al-sone'enu venilkham-banu ve'alah min-ha'arets

Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”

vayyasimu alayw sare missim lema'an annoto besivlotam vayyiven are miskenot lefaroh et-pitom ve'et-ra'amses

So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

vekha'asher ye'annu oto ken yirbeh vekhen yifrots vayyaqutsu mippene bene yisra'el

But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites.

vayya'avidu mitsrayim et-bene yisra'el befarekh

The Egyptians ruthlessly imposed upon the Israelites

vayemareru et-khayyehem ba'avodah qashah bekhomer uvilvenim uvekhol-avodah bassadeh et kol-avodatam asher-avedu vahem befarekh

the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field.

vayyomer melekh mitsrayim lamyalledot ha'ivriyyot asher shem ha'akhat shifrah veshem hashenit pu'ah

The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,

vayyomer beyalledkhen et-ha'ivriyyot ure'iten al-ha'ovnayim im-ben hu vahamitten oto ve'im-bat hiv vakhayah

saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

vattirena hameyalledot et-ha'elohim velo asu ka'asher dibber alehen melekh mitsrayim vattekhayyena et-hayeladim

The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

vayyiqra melekh-mitsrayim lamyalledot vayyomer lahen maddua asiten haddavar hazzeh vattekhayyena et-hayeladim

So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?”

vattomarna hameyalledot el-paroh ki lo khannashim hammitsriyyot ha'ivriyyot ki-khayot hennah beterem tavo alehen hameyalledet veyaladu

The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.”

vayyetev elohim lamyalledot vayyirev ha'am vayya'atsmu me'od

And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly.

vayehi ki-yare'u hameyalledot et-ha'elohim vayya'as lahem battim

And [God] established households for the midwives, because they feared God.

vayetsav paroh lekhol-ammo lemor kol-habben hayyillod haye'orah tashlikhuhu vekhol-habbat tekhayyun

Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”