Hæc sunt nomina filiorum Israël qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum cum Jacob: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt:

Here are the names of Israel’s sons; these were the men who betook themselves to Egypt, each with his family, when Jacob went there;

These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in, every man with his household:

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda,

Issachar, Zabulon et Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon and Benjamin,

Issachar, Zabulon, and Benjamin,

Dan et Nephthali, Gad et Aser.

Dan and Nephthali, Gad and Aser.

Dan, and Nephtali, Gad and Aser.

Erant igitur omnes animæ eorum qui egressi sunt de femore Jacob, septuaginta: Joseph autem in Ægypto erat.

There were seventy souls altogether that came from Jacob’s stock, but of these, Joseph was in Egypt already.

And all the souls that came out of Jacob’s thigh, were seventy: but Joseph was in Egypt.

Quo mortuo, et universis fratribus ejus, omnique cognatione illa,

When he and his brethren and all their next descendants were dead,

After he was dead, and all his brethren, and all that generation,

filii Israël creverunt, et quasi germinantes multiplicati sunt: ac roborati nimis, impleverunt terram.

the race of Israel grew into a teeming multitude, in such strength that the whole land was peopled with them.

The children of Israel increased, and sprung up into multitudes, and growing exceedingly strong they filled the land.

Surrexit interea rex novus super Ægyptum, qui ignorabat Joseph.

Meanwhile, a new king of Egypt had arisen, who knew nothing of Joseph.

In the mean time there arose a new king over Egypt, that knew not Joseph:

Et ait ad populum suum: Ecce, populus filiorum Israël multus, et fortior nobis est.

See, he said to his people, how the race of the Israelites has grown, till they are stronger than we are.

And he said to his people: Behold the people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than we.

Venite, sapienter opprimamus eum, ne forte multiplicetur: et si ingruerit contra nos bellum, addatur inimicis nostris, expugnatisque nobis egrediatur de terra.

We must go prudently about it and keep them down, or their numbers will grow; what if war threatens, and they make common cause with our enemies? They will get the better of us, and leave our country altogether.

Come, let us wisely oppress them, lest they multiply: and if any war shall rise against us, join with our enemies, and having overcome us, depart out of the land.

Præposuit itaque eis magistros operum, ut affligerent eos oneribus: ædificaveruntque urbes tabernaculorum Pharaoni, Phithom et Ramesses.

So he made them answerable to officers of the public works, who laid crushing burdens on them, using them to build the store-cities of Phithom and Ramesses;

Therefore he set over them masters of the works, to afflict them with burdens, and they built for Pharao cities of tabernacles, Phithom, and Ramesses.

Quantoque opprimebant eos, tanto magis multiplicabantur, et crescebant:

but the more they were ill-treated, the more they bred and multiplied.

But the more they oppressed them, the more they were multiplied, and increased:

oderantque filios Israël Ægyptii, et affligebant illudentes eis,

The Egyptians, in their abhorrence for the Israelites, oppressed and insulted them,

And the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, and afflicted them and mocked them:

atque ad amaritudinem perducebant vitam eorum operibus duris luti et lateris, omnique famulatu, quo in terræ operibus premebantur.

making their lives a burden with drudgery in the clay-pit and the brick-kiln, drudgery, too, of all kinds in the cultivation of the land.

And they made their life bitter with hard works in clay, and brick, and with all manner of service, wherewith they were overcharged in the works of the earth.

Dixit autem rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum, quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,

Then the king of Egypt gave orders to Sephora and Phua, the midwives who attended the Hebrews;

And the king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews: of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua,

præcipiens eis: Quando obstetricabitis Hebræas, et partus tempus advenerit: si masculus fuerit, interficite eum: si femina, reservate.

When you are called in, he said, to attend the Hebrew women, and their time comes, kill the child if it is a boy; if it is a girl keep it alive.

Commanding them: When you shall do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery is come: if it be a man child, kill it: if a woman, keep it alive.

Timuerunt autem obstetrices Deum, et non fecerunt juxta præceptum regis Ægypti, sed conservabant mares.

But these midwives feared the Lord, and would not carry out the commands of the king of Egypt; they kept the boys safe;

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded, but saved the men children.

Quibus ad se accersitis, rex ait: Quidnam est hoc quod facere voluistis, ut pueros servaretis?

and when the king summoned them and asked, What do you mean by sparing the boys too?

And the king called for them and said: What is that you meant to do, that you would save the men children?

Quæ responderunt: Non sunt Hebreæ sicut ægyptiæ mulieres: ipsæ enim obstetricandi habent scientiam, et priusquam veniamus ad eas, pariunt.

they answered, The Hebrew women are not like those of Egypt; they are skilled in midwifery, and contrive to give birth before we reach them.

They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skilful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

Bene ergo fecit Deus obstetricibus: et crevit populus, confortatusque est nimis.

For this, God rewarded the midwives; while his people grew and attained great strength,

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

Et quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum, ædificavit eis domos.

he gave the midwives, too, families of their own, as women who feared God.

And because the midwives feared God, he built them houses.

Præcepit ergo Pharao omni populo suo, dicens: Quidquid masculini sexus natum fuerit, in flumen projicite: quidquid feminini, reservate.

And at last Pharao made a proclamation to the whole of his people: Whenever a male child is born, cast it into the river, keep only the girls alive.

Pharao therefore charged all his people, saying: Whatsoever shall be born of the male sex, ye shall cast into the river: whatsoever of the female, ye shall save alive.