EXODUS 1

THE ISRAELITES OPPRESSED BY THE EGYPTIANS 

After Joseph and his brothers died, their number of descendants grew rapidly. 

In Egypt, a new king was appointed who did not know Joseph or his family. He decides there are too many Israelites in Egypt, so he enslaves them to do forced hard labor. (The terms Hebrew and Israelite are used to describe the same people.)

Since slavery isn’t enough to stop the Israelites from multiplying, the king of Egypt tells two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all the Hebrew newborn boys. The midwives had to choose between lying to the king and murdering baby boys. They choose lying and God blesses them for their decision to spare the Hebrews.  

Pharaoh commands all his people to drown every male Hebrew child in the Nile.