Ovaisrael mave tatumisiwa mOengipte
1 Omana wovazandu va Israel, mba tjindira kOengipte puna Jakob, auhe puna eṱunḓu re, owo nga: 2 OoRuben na Simeon na Levi na Juda; 3 na Isakar na Sebulon na Benjamin; 4 na Dan na Naftali na Gad na Aser. 5 Jakob wa ri nozondekurona omirongo hambombari. Josef tjandje weya rukuru mOengipte. 6 Moure woruveze ndo Josef novanatje vaihe nomuhoko auhe otji va koka. 7 Nungwari Ovaisrael va ri norukwato oruingi. Otjivaro tjawo tja rira otjingi, nu va kara nomasa. Va takavara, nga tji ve ura mehi.
8 Notji mwa zikwa ombara ombe mOengipte, ndji ha tjivirwe Josef. 9 Oyo ya tja nai kotjiwaṋa tjayo: “Mamu tjiwa kutja Ovaisrael nambano va takavara, nu va rire ovanamasa pu eṱe, nga tji va rire ondirisiro kweṱe. 10 Ngatu ve pahere ondunge kutja ave ha takavarere ko. Tjapo tji pe ya ovita, mave rikutu kuna ovanavita na eṱe, ave tu rwisa nave kambura ehi retu.” 11 Nu pa zikwa ovatatumise vovahuurwa okuveungurisa nomasa kutja ve mune ouzeu. Ovaisrael va tungira Farao ovihuro vyomapwikiro oOpitom na Ramses. 12 Ovaisrael nangarire kutja aave tatumisiwa nai, va yenda amave takavarere ko tjinene nga Ovaengipte tji va uta okuvenyengwa nokuvetira. 13 Owo opu va za okuungurisa Ovaisrael oviungura vyoukarere. 14 Ominyo vyawo vya tetarisiwa i oviungura vyondatumisire vyomunoko novyozohima, noviungura ngamwa avihe movikunino; ii, oviungura vyondatumisire avihe novyoukarere mbi, va ungurisiwa i Ovaengipte.
15 Ombara ya Engipte ya raera kovakazendu ovapandukise vOvaheberi, Sifra na Pua, ai tja; 16 “Eṋe tji mamu pandukisa ovakazendu Ovaheberi namu munu omuatje kutja omuzandu, mu zepeye; nungwari tje ri omukazona, mu eseye a hupe.” 17 Nungwari ovakazendu ovapandukise va ri nondira ku Ndjambi nave ha tjiti otja tji va raerwa i ombara ya Engipte, nounatje ouzandu ave u esa kutja u hupe. 18 Nombara yOvaengipte ya isana ovakazendu mba ovapandukise nai pura ku wo ai tja: “Okutjavi tji mamu tjiti nai, tji mwa isa ounatje ouzandu kutja u hupe?”
19 Novakazendu ovapandukise va zira ku Farao ave tja: “Ovakazendu Ovaheberi kave ri otja imba vOvaengipte; owo ve panduka oupupu. Omukazendu omupandukise ngunda e hiye ya ku wo, tjandje va panduka rukuru.” 20 Komuhingo mbwi otjiwaṋa tja takavarera ko natji kara nomasa tjinene. Nu Ndjambi wa yandja ouindandu kovakazendu ovapandukise. 21 Owo tjinga ava ri nondira ku Ndjambi, eye otje ve pa omaṱunḓu. 22 Korusenina Farao wa yandja omaraerero kovandu ve avehe na tja: “Okanatje okazandu akehe kOvaheberi ku make pandukwa, ke yumbeye monḓonḓu Nil. Nungwari inga okakazona akehe ke eseye kehupe.”
The People of Israel Suffer
1-5 When Jacob went to Egypt, his son Joseph was already there. So Jacob took his eleven other sons and their families. They were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Altogether, Jacob had 70 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who went with him.
6 After Joseph, his brothers, and everyone else in that generation had died, 7 the people of Israel became so numerous that the whole region of Goshen was full of them.
8 Many years later a new king came to power. He did not know what Joseph had done for Egypt, 9 and he told the Egyptians:
There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are. 10 If we don't outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.
11 The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, where the king could store his supplies. 12 But even though the Israelites were mistreated, their families grew larger, and they took over more land. Because of this, the Egyptians feared them worse than before 13 and made them work so hard 14 that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields.
15 Finally, the king called in Shiphrah and Puah, the two women who helped the Hebrew mothers when they gave birth. 16 He told them, “If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!”
17 But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to. 18 The king called them in again and asked, “Why are you letting those baby boys live?”
19 They answered, “Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born.” 20-21 God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own.
The Hebrews kept increasing 22 until finally, the king gave a command to everyone in the nation, “As soon as a Hebrew boy is born, throw him into the Nile River! But you can let the girls live.”
