The Israelites Are Treated Cruelly in Egypt
1 The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him, each with his family, were 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 The total number of these people directly descended from Jacob was seventy. His son Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 In the course of time Joseph, his brothers, and all the rest of that generation died, 7 but their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and became so numerous and strong that Egypt was filled with them.
8 Then, a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 He said to his people, “These Israelites are so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us. 10 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.” 11 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. 12 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 13-14 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.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to Shiphrah and Puah, the two midwives who helped the Hebrew women. 16 “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.” 17 But the midwives were God-fearing and so did not obey the king; instead, they let the boys live. 18 So the king sent for the midwives and asked them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the boys live?”
19 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.” 20-21 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. 22 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.”
Okuhepekwa kwOvaisraeli moupika muEgipiti
1 Ndele omadina ovana ovamati vaIsrael ava ve uya kuEgipiti oo aa; ovo ve uya pamwe naJakob, keshe umwe neumbo laye: 2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi naJuda, 3 Isaskar, Sebulon naBenjamin, 4 Dan naNaftali, Gad naAsser. 5 Neemwenyo adishe edi da dja momatundji aJakob odo oda li eemwenyo omilongo heyali. Ndelenee Josef okwa li muEgipiti.
6 Ndele Josef okwa fya, novamwaxe vaye aveshe, nepupi alishe linya. 7 Ndelenee Ovaisraeli va li ve noludalo ndele va ninga vahapu, ndele va hapupala ndele va ninga vahapu neenghono nova yadifa oshilongo. 8 Opo nee ohamba ipe ya holoka tai pangele Egipiti, yo ya li inai shiiva Josef nande. 9 Yo oya lombwela ovanhu vayo: “Taleni, oshiwana shOvaisraeli osha ninga shinene shi neenghono shi tu dule. 10 Hano ileni, fye tu pangeleni omhangela momakoto oku va kondjifa, vo vaha dule okuhapupala, nongeenge hatu hangika koita, vo vaha ame kovatondadi vetu noku tu lwifa, ndele tava di mo moshilongo.” 11 Opo nee vo ova pewa ovapashukili oku va hepeka noilonga idjuu. Ndele vo ova tungila Farao oituvikilwalando Pitom naRamses. 12 Ndelenee okuhepekwa kwavo eshi kwa hapupala, nokuhapupala kwavo kwa ehena komesho, nova tandavela; opo Ovaegipiti va tila Ovaisraeli. 13 Onghee hano Ovaegipiti va fininika Ovaisraeli noilonga idjuu youpika, 14 nokukalamwenyo kwavo kwa lulumikwa noilonga idjuu yomunoko needopi noilonga i lili nai lili momapya, heeno, noilonga i lili nai lili ve i fininikilwa ve i longe.
15 Nohamba yaEgipiti ya lombwela ovadalifi Ovaheberi, umwe, edina laye Sifra nolamukwao Pua, 16 ndele tai ti: “Nye eshi tamu kwafa ovalikadi Ovaheberi mokudala omu nokutala pokudalifa, ngeenge okamati, mu noku ka dipaa, ndelenee ngeenge okakadona, naka kale nomwenyo.” 17 Ndelenee ovadalifi ava va li ovatilikalunga noinava ninga ngaashi ohamba yaEgipiti ye va lombwela, ndelenee va efa ouhanana oumati va kale ve nomwenyo. 18 Opo nee ohamba yaEgipiti ya ifana ovadalifi ndele tai ti kuvo: “Omolwashike mwe shi ninga nomwa efa ouhanana oumati va kale nomwenyo?” 19 Novadalifi va lombwela Farao, tava ti: “Ovalikadi Ovaheberi hasho ve li ngaashi Ovaegipiti, osheshi venya ve neenghono, fimbo omudalifi ina fika kuvo, ova dala nokuli.” 20 Ndelenee Kalunga okwa nangeka noupuna ovadalifi. Noshiwana osha hapupala nosha ninga shinene shi neenghono. 21 Ndele ovadalifi eshi va tila Kalunga, Ye okwe va pa oludalo lihapu. 22 Opo nee Farao okwa lombwela ovanhu vaye aveshe, ndele ta ti: “Ovana aveshe ovamati ava tava dalwa ve nokweekelwa muNil, ndelenee oukadona aveshe nava efuwe ve nomwenyo.”
