Exodus 1
The full text of Exodus 1 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 In all, the descendants of Jacob numbered seventy; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation.
7 But the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied; they increased greatly and grew so strong that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
9 He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people have become too numerous and too strong for us."
10 "Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become even more numerous, and if war breaks out they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country."
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
13 So the Egyptians worked the Israelites ruthlessly.
14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in mortar and brick and all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians drove them without mercy.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16 "When you help the Hebrew women give birth and watch them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."
17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.
18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife arrives."
20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became even more numerous.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: "Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."
Translation notes (7)
- Exodus 1:5a The number 'seventy' follows the standard Hebrew text. However, the Septuagint and a Dead Sea Scrolls reading have 'seventy-five' (compare Acts 7:14).
- Exodus 1:8a The Hebrew phrase melekh khadash (מלך חדש) literally means 'a new king.' This refers to a dynastic change or a pharaoh who chose to ignore the previous historical relationship with Joseph and his descendants.
- Exodus 1:11a Pithom and Rameses are commonly identified with ancient Egyptian cities, with Pithom possibly being Tell el-Maskhuta and Rameses often identified with Pi-Ramesses, the capital built by Ramesses II.
- Exodus 1:14a The phrase rendered here as 'mortar and brick' describes typical ancient Near Eastern building materials. The Hebrew is beḥōmer ūvilvēnîm (בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים).
- Exodus 1:16a The Hebrew word 'obnayim literally means 'the two stones,' referring to a birthing stool or a pair of bricks used during childbirth.
- Exodus 1:19a The Hebrew word chayoth (חַיּוֹת) literally means 'lively' or 'vigorous,' suggesting the Hebrew women were full of life and vitality, leading to quick deliveries.
- Exodus 1:22a The standard Hebrew text reads "every son," but the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the Samaritan Pentateuch add "born to the Hebrews," making it clear that "every Hebrew boy" is meant.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible — rendered from the original Hebrew and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including Exodus, are free to read on this site.
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