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.”
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.”