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.”
Wahalar Isra’ilawa a Masar
1Waɗannan su ne sunayen ’ya’yan Isra’ila maza, waɗanda suka tafi Masar tare da Yaƙub; kowanne da iyalinsa.
2Ruben, Simeyon, Lawi da Yahuda;
3Issakar, Zebulun da Benyamin;
4Dan da Naftali;
Gad da Asher.
5Zuriyar Yaƙub duka sun kai mutum saba’in. Yusuf ya riga ya kasance a Masar.
6Yanzu Yusuf da dukan ’yan’uwansa da kuma dukan tsaran nan da suka tafi Masar, sun mutu, 7amma Isra’ilawa sun riɓaɓɓanya, suka kuma yi ta haihuwa sosai, suka yi yawan sosai, har ƙasar ta cika da su.
8Sai wani sabon sarki wanda bai san Yusuf ba, ya hau sarautar Masar. 9Ya ce wa mutanensa, “Duba Isra’ilawa sun yi yawa, sun fi ƙarfinmu. 10Ku zo, mu yi dabara a kansu, in ba haka ba za su ƙaru fiye da haka, in kuwa yaƙi ya tashi tsakaninmu da abokan gāba, za su iya haɗa kai da abokan gāba, su yaƙe mu, su bar ƙasar.”
11Saboda haka sai suka naɗa shugabannin gandu a kansu don su wahalshe su, su kuma bauta musu, suka sa su suka gina biranen Fitom da Rameses su zama biranen ajiya, domin Fir’auna. 12Amma duk da wannan ƙarin wulaƙancin da ake yi musu, su kuwa sai daɗa riɓaɓɓanya suke ta yi. Sai tsoron Isra’ilawa ya ƙaru a zuciyar Masarawa, 13ganin haka sai Masarawa suka ƙara musu wahala. 14Suka baƙanta wa Isra’ilawa rai da bauta mai wuya, ta wurin sa su yin tubali da yumɓu, da kuma kowace irin bauta a gonaki. A cikin dukan ayyukansu, Masarawa ba su ji tausayinsu ba ko kaɗan.
15Sai Sarkin Masar ya gaya wa ungozomomin matan Ibraniyawa, wato, su Shofra da Fuwa ya ce, 16“Sa’ad da kuke taimakon matan Ibraniyawa lokacin haihuwa, in jaririn namiji ne ku kashe shi, amma in ta mace ce, ku bar ta da rai.” 17Amma ungozomomin nan masu tsoron Allah ne, ba su kuwa aikata abin da sarkin Masar ya gaya musu ba; suka bar jarirai maza su rayu. 18Sai sarkin Masar ya kira ungozomomin, ya tambaye su ya ce, “Don me kuka yi haka? Don me kuka bar jarirai maza su rayu?”
19Ungozoman suka amsa wa Fir’auna suka ce, “Ai, matan Ibraniyawa ba kamar matan Masarawa ba ne, gwarzaye ne, sukan haihu kafin ungozomomin su kai wurinsu.”
20Saboda haka Allah ya nuna alheri wa ungozomomin, Isra’ilawa kuwa suka yi yawa fiye da dā. 21Saboda ungozomomin suna tsoron Allah, sai Allah ya ba su iyalan kansu.
22Sai Fir’auna ya ba da umarni wa mutanensa ya ce, “Duk yaron da yake namijin da haka haifa, dole ku jefa shi cikin kogi, amma ku bar yara mata su rayu.”