Exodus 1

Israel’s descendants multiply in Egypt

These are Israel’s sons who came to Egypt with Jacob with their households:

  1. Reuben

  2. Simeon

  3. Levi

  4. Judah

  5. Issachar

  6. Zebulun

  7. Benjamin

  8. Dan

  9. Naphtali

  10. Gad

  11. Asher

All together, there were 70 of Jacob’s descendants, while Joseph was already in Egypt. Joseph’s brothers and that whole generation had already died, but Israel’s descendants were bountiful and multiplied, becoming numerous enough to fill the land.

Egyptians enslave Israelites

Now a new Pharaoh had come to power in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph. He told his people,

“Look, Israel’s descendants have grown to outnumber us. Let’s be strategic so when the next war comes they don’t form alliances with our enemies and leave our dominion.”

So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. And they built Pharaoh two storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread out which dreaded the Egyptians. The Egyptians forced Israel’s descendants to work harshly. They made their lives bitter by forcing them to work intensely with bricks, mortar, and in the fields.

Pharaoh orders for newborn Israelite boys to be killed

Then Pharaoh told the Hebrew midwives (including Shiphrah and Puah),

“When you’re helping the Hebrew women give birth, if the baby is a boy, you must put him to death, but if it’s a girl, then she may live.”

But the midwives were afraid of God, and let the boys live instead of following Pharaoh’s orders. So Pharaoh summoned them and asked,

“Why did you let the boys live?”

The midwives replied,

“Because the Hebrew women are more vigorous than the Egyptian women, and they give birth before we can even get to them.”

So God was pleased with the midwives and the people multiplied and became very numerous. Since the midwives were afraid of God, He established households for them. Then Pharaoh told all of his people,

“Anytime a male child is born, you must throw him into the Nile, but keep the daughters alive.”

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Exodus 2

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Daniel 12