¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah. ¹⁶ And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. ¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the male children alive?

¹⁹ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered before the midwife comes to them.

²⁰ And God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. ²¹ And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households. ²² And Pharaoh ordered all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.