以色列人在埃及受虐待　
　　雅各的儿子们各带了家眷，跟雅各一起到埃及去。他们的名字是∶吕便、西缅、利未、犹大、以萨迦、西布伦、便雅悯、但、拿弗他利、迦得、亚设。这些人都是雅各的直系子孙，总数七十人。雅各的另一个儿子约瑟早已到了埃及。后来，约瑟死了，他的兄弟们和他们的同辈也都死了。可是，他们的后代，就是以色列人，人口增加很快，又多又强盛，遍及埃及全境。
　　后来，埃及有一个新王登基，他对约瑟的事毫无所知。他对埃及人说∶“这些以色列人又多又强盛，对我们是一种威胁。一旦发生战争，他们可能跟敌人联合攻打我们，逃离我们的国土。我们必须设法阻止他们人口的增加。”[注解]　于是埃及人指派监工，强迫以色列人服苦役，用这方法来打击他们的情绪。以色列人建造比东和兰塞城，作为国王的补给中心。但是埃及人越虐待以色列人，以色列人越生养得多，人口分布得越广，因此埃及人惧怕以色列人。埃及人命令以色列人做苦工，奴役他们，要他们和泥造砖，在田野做苦工，使他们痛苦异常。
　　埃及王又叫两个希伯来的接生婆来，一个叫施弗拉，另一个叫普阿；他对她们说∶“你们替希伯来妇女接生时，如果她们生下的是男婴，就杀掉，女婴，就让她活下去。”但是这两个接生婆敬畏上帝，不服从国王的命令；她们让男婴活着。于是国王把她们叫来，问她们∶“你们为什么这样做？为什么让男婴都活着呢？”
　　她们回答∶“希伯来的妇女不像埃及妇女；她们很强健，我们还没有赶到，她们已经生产了。”因为接生婆敬畏上帝，上帝特别看顾她们，让她们也有自己的家庭。以色列的人口继续增加，又很强盛。最后，埃及王对全国人民颁发一道命令∶“希伯来人新生的男婴都必须扔到尼罗河去，只准女婴活着。”

　　The Israelites Are Treated Cruelly in Egypt　
　　The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him, each with his family, were [注解]　Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The total number of these people directly descended from Jacob was seventy. His son Joseph was already in Egypt. [注解]　In the course of time Joseph, his brothers, and all the rest of that generation died, but their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and became so numerous and strong that Egypt was filled with them.[注解]　
　　Then, a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. [注解]　He said to his people, "These Israelites are so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us. In case of war they might join our enemies in order to fight against us, and might escape from the country. We must find some way to keep them from becoming even more numerous." [注解]　So the Egyptians put slave drivers over them to crush their spirits with hard labor. The Israelites built the cities of Pithom and Rameses to serve as supply centers for the king. But the more the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, the more they increased in number and the farther they spread through the land. The Egyptians came to fear the Israelites and made their lives miserable by forcing them into cruel slavery. They made them work on their building projects and in their fields, and they had no pity on them.
　　Then the king of Egypt spoke to Shiphrah and Puah, the two midwives who helped the Hebrew women. "When you help the Hebrew women give birth," he said to them, "kill the baby if it is a boy; but if it is a girl, let it live." But the midwives were God-fearing and so did not obey the king; instead, they let the boys live. So the king sent for the midwives and asked them, "Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the boys live?"
　　They answered, "The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they give birth easily, and their babies are born before either of us gets there." Because the midwives were God-fearing, God was good to them and gave them families of their own. And the Israelites continued to increase and become strong. Finally the king issued a command to all his people: "Take every newborn Hebrew boy and throw him into the Nile, but let all the girls live."[注解]