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.”
Baiziraela banodziyidziwa mu Egipiti
1 Awa ndiwo mazina e bakololo ba Jakubo bakayenda naye ku Egipiti, mmwe ne mmwe ne nsha uwe. 2 Ndi Rubheni na Simiyoni na Levi na Juda, 3 Isakari na Zebuluni na Bhenjamini, 4 Dani na Nafutali, Gadi na Asha. 5 Bose be lutshinga gwa Jakubo mbalo yabo yakabe ili makumi ali kutendeka (70). Josefa iye wakabe ali ku Egipiti kale. 6 Ngono Josefa kafa ne bakololo ba tate babe bose ne tjizekugwana tjitje tjose. 7 Koga Baiziraela bakabe bana mbeleko bewanda ngolibilidza. Bakawanda bakabe banjinji, bakasima, ngono bakazhala shango.
8 Ngono kukabepo Mambo mu Egipiti usingazibe tjimwe ngekwa Josefa. 9 Kadwa bathu babe kati, “Bonani, Baiziraela banjisa naiko bakasima kutipinda. 10 Buyani tibalukile mano, banodwa bewanda bebe beti mu nsi ungabe ne ngwa bezwibhatshanya ne zwita zwedu begwa naswi bekotizha bebhuda mu shango iyeyi.” 11 Ndizo bakabe bebapa bashingisi kubadziyidza nge kubakombeledza kushinga mishingo inolema. Baiziraela bakabakila Faro mizi ye matula, Pitomu ne Ramese. 12 Koga kudziyidziwa kwabo kwakati kukula, bakawanda kunyanyisa bakaandama kwakayita kuti Baegipiti batje Baiziraela. 13 Ndizo Baegipiti bakashingisa Baiziraela kunolema kwakapindilila basingabahwile ngoni, 14 bakathama butjilo gwabo gukabipa nge kubashingisa kunolema bevangisiwa daka ne kuthamisiwa zwitina nenge nshingo mmwe ne mmwe mu minda. Baegipiti bakabe basina ngoni mu mishingo yose inolema yabakabe bebashingisa.
15 Mambo we Egipiti kadwa batshibamisi be Bahebheru, Shifura na Puva kati, 16 “Muti mushinga nshingo wenyu mutshibamisa bakadzi be Bahebheru, bati besununguka, ha mwana ali mbisana mu mbulaye, koga ha ali mwanadi musimbulaye.” 17 Koga batshibamisi ibaba bakabe betja Ndzimu, ngono bakasitongo thama tjabakadwiwa ndi Mambo we Egipiti, bakasibulaye balisana. 18 Ndizo Mambo we Egipiti kadana batshibamisi kababhuzwa kati, “Ini makathama saikoku muletja balisana betjila?”
19 Batshibamisi bakadwa Faro bakati, “Bakadzi be Bahebheru abatonga bakadzi be Egipiti, banotshibama nge bulelu batshibamisi basathu bakaswika pabali.” 20 Ndizo Ndzimu ukabhata batshibamisi zubuyanana, ne bathu bakawanda bakasima kwazo. 21 Ngono se batshibamisi bakabe betja Ndzimu, ndizo Ndzimu ukabathamila zwakanaka ukabapa misha. 22 Ipapo Faro kadwa bathu babe kati, “Mbisana mmwe ne mmwe we Nhebheru wazwagwa munlashile mu gwizi gwe Naili, koga muletje mwanadi mmwe ne mmwe atjile.”