Exodus [Names] 1

Parashah 13: Sh'mot ·Names· 1:1-6:1

1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel [God prevails], who came into Egypt [Abode of slavery] (every man and his household came with Jacob [Supplanter]): 2Reuben [See, a son!], Simeon [Hearing], Levi [United with], and Judah [Praised], 3Issachar [Hire, Reward], Zebulun [Living together], and Benjamin [Son of right hand, Son of south], 4Dan [He judged] and Naphtali [My wrestling], Gad [Good fortune] and Asher [Happy]. 5All the souls who came out of Jacob [Supplanter]’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph [May he add] was in Egypt [Abode of slavery] already. 6Joseph [May he add] died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 7The children of Israel [God prevails] were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt [Abode of slavery], who didn’t know Joseph [May he add]. 1 9He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel [God prevails] are more and mightier than we. 10Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land.” 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel [God prevails]. 13The Egyptians [people from Abode of slavery] ruthlessly made the children of Israel [God prevails] serve, 14and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

15The king of Egypt [Abode of slavery] spoke to the Hebrew [Immigrant] midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 16and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew [Immigrant] women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt [Abode of slavery] ordered them, but saved the baby boys alive. (2) 18The king of Egypt [Abode of slavery] called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?”

19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew [Immigrant] women are not like the Egyptian [person from Abode of slavery] women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

20God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22Pharaoh enjoined all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”