1: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
1: 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
1: 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
1: 5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were 1seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt already.
1So Sam., Aramaic, Vulgate, and Massoretic. Qumran and Sept. read 75 souls: So Abegg.
1: 6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
1: 7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
1: 8 Now there arose 2a new king over Egypt, 3who knew not Joseph.
2Apparently a new dynasty, who overthrew the 12th Dynasty of Ammenemes (ca. BC 1786), or possibly the 14th Dynasty which revolted from the 13th and reigned in the northern Delta at Xois.
3i.e., implying more that simply not remembering, but implying unfriendliness or hostility.
1: 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are 4more and mightier than we:
4Or, too many and too mighty for us: This was true at the time of the Exodus, when Manetho says there were 250,000 Hyksos (with 600 iron chariots), and one infers about two million Israelites.
1: 10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.
1: 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and 5Raamses.
5Originally built up by the Hyksos (including some Dynasty 14, and all Dynasty 15, pharaohs), ca. BC 1720. Originally called Hatwaret (Egyptian) and Avaris (Greek), it was later better known as Ramesses for Ramesses II, who rebuilt it ca. 1250. Tell ed-Daba, near modern Fâqûs on the Bubastite branch of the Nile River.
1: 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they 6were grieved because of the children of Israel.
6Or, abhorred because of
1: 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:
1: 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.
1: 15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
1: 16 and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
1: 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.
1: 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?
1: 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.
1: 20 And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
1: 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households.
1: 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
