The Israelites Oppressed
1These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy1:5 Masoretic Text (see also Gen. 46:27); Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14 and note at Gen. 46:27) seventy-five in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13and worked them ruthlessly. 14They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Israelfoɔ Wɔ Misraim
1Yakob mma ne wɔn abusuafoɔ a wɔne no tu kɔtenaa no din na ɛdidi so yi.
2Ruben, Simeon, Lewi ne Yuda;
3Isakar, Sebulon ne Benyamin;
4Dan, Naftali;
Gad ne Aser.
5Yakob asefoɔ a ɔne wɔn kɔeɛ no nyinaa ano si aduɔson. Na Yosef wɔ Misraim dada.
6Yosef ne ne nuanom ne wɔn ɛberɛ sofoɔ no nyinaa wuwuiɛ, 7nanso Israelfoɔ no ase dɔreeɛ, na wɔyɛɛ bebree, hyɛɛ asase no so ma.
8Na ɔhene foforɔ bi bɛdii adeɛ wɔ Misraim a na ɔnnim Yosef ho asɛm. 9Ɔka kyerɛɛ ne mamfoɔ no sɛ, “Monhwɛ, Israelfoɔ yi ase adɔre, wɔreyɛ adɔɔso dodo ama yɛn. 10Momma yɛmpɛ ɛkwan bi na yɛmfa so nsi saa dɔre a wɔredɔre no ano. Sɛ yɛanyɛ saa na ɔko bi si a, wɔbɛdɔm yɛn atamfoɔ ne wɔn ako atia yɛn na wɔafiri ɔman yi mu.”
11Enti wɔde nkoa sohwɛfoɔ gyinagyinaa wɔn kɔn so ma wɔyɛɛ adwuma den de kyekyeree adekora nkuropɔn Pitom ne Rameses maa Farao. 12Nanso mpɛn dodoɔ a Misraimfoɔ no hyɛɛ wɔn so no, dɔ ara na Israelfoɔ no dɔɔso. Yei maa Misraimfoɔ no suroo Israelfoɔ 13na wɔkɔɔ so hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ no so ketee. 14Wɔde adwumadenyɛ dii Israelfoɔ no nya. Wɔma wɔyɛɛ ntayaa ne dɔteɛ ho adwuma a ɛyɛ den ne mfuom nnwuma ahodoɔ. Yeinom nyinaa akyiri no Misraimfoɔ yɛɛ atirimuɔden akwan bebree so kyerɛɛ Israelfoɔ no.
15Misraimhene ka kyerɛɛ Hebrifoɔ awogyefoɔ a wɔn din ne Sifra ne Pua sɛ, 16“Sɛ mokɔgye Hebrini biara awoɔ, na awoeɛ hɔ mohunu sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabarima a, monkum no, na sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabaa deɛ a, monnyɛ no hwee.” 17Esiane sɛ na awogyefoɔ no yɛ onyamesurofoɔ no enti, wɔanni mmara a ɔhene no hyɛɛ wɔn no so maa mmarimaa a wɔwowoo wɔn no tenaeɛ. 18Ɔhene no frɛɛ wɔn bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Adɛn enti na moanni mmara a mehyɛeɛ no so na moama mmarimaa a Hebrifoɔ no wowoo wɔn no atena?”
19Wɔbuaa no sɛ, “Hebrifoɔ mmaa no de ahoɔden wo ɔherɛ so enti yɛbɛduru hɔ no, na wɔawo dada. Wɔnte sɛ Misraimfoɔ mmaa no.”
20Onyankopɔn hyiraa awogyefoɔ no. Na Israelfoɔ no dɔɔso ara bɛyɛɛ ɔman kɛseɛ. 21Esiane sɛ na awogyefoɔ no yɛ nyamesurofoɔ enti, Onyankopɔn domm wɔn mma.
22Afei, Farao hyɛɛ mmara sɛ Herbrifoɔ mmarimaa a wɔbɛwo wɔn foforɔ no, wɔnto wɔn ngu Asubɔnten Nil mu na mmaayewa a wɔbɛwo wɔn foforɔ no deɛ, wɔntena hɔ.
