¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and another named Puah; ¹⁶ and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see the sex, if it is a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live. ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but gave the men children their lives. ¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing and have given the men children their lives?

¹⁹ And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively and are delivered before the midwives come in unto them.

²⁰ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. ²¹ And it came to pass because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. ²² Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall give them their lives.