Urban Word Bible
Exodus 1
Read Exodus 1 in clear, relatable modern language.
The Israelites Multiply in Egypt
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel (aka Jacob) who rolled up to Egypt with him, each bringing their crew.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 In total, Jacob had seventy people in his squad, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.
6 Joseph, all his brothers, and that whole generation eventually died.
7 But their descendants, the Israelites, were out here multiplying like crazy, filling up the land. They were deep!
Egypt Oppresses Israel
8 Then a new king came up in Egypt, and he did not know about Joseph like that.
9 He said to his people, ‘Look, these Israelites are becoming too many and too strong for us.’
10 ‘We must deal with them now before they outnumber us, team up with our enemies, and take us down from the inside.’
11 So they put slave masters over the Israelites to keep them in check, forcing them to build cities for Pharaoh, like Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread. The Egyptians started freaking out because of them.
13 They worked the Israelites to the bone, making their lives miserable.
14 They made them slaves, forcing them to work in fields and make bricks, treating them like dirt.
Pharaoh’s Plan to Kill Baby Boys
15 Pharaoh called in the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and told them,
16 ‘When you help the Hebrew women give birth, if it is a boy, kill him. If it is a girl, let her live.’
17 But the midwives feared God and did not listen to Pharaoh. They let the boys live.
18 So Pharaoh called them back and asked, ‘Why are you letting the boys live?’
19 The midwives said, ‘The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women, they give birth so fast we cannot even get there in time!’
20 God was pleased with the midwives, and the Israelites kept growing, becoming even stronger.
21 Because the midwives respected God, He blessed them with families of their own.
22 But Pharaoh was not done. He gave a new order to everyone: ‘Throw every Hebrew baby boy into the Nile River, but let the girls live.’