And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives (of which the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:) And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it shall be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it shall be a daughter, then she shall live. read more.
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male-children alive. 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? And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in to them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.