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will decrease, because you will de-built with all Israel, and were emprive them from their wives day by ployed in that work with Israel for day. a month.

15. And all the elders of Egypt heard the counsel of the king, and the counsel seemed good in their eyes and in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all Egypt, and they did according to the word of the king.

23. And at the end of the month, all the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw secretly from the people of Israel daily.

24. And Israel went on with the work at that time, but they then received their daily hire, because some 16. And all the servants went of the men of Egypt were yet carryaway from the king, and they caused ing on the work with Israel at that a proclamation to be made in all time; therefore the Egyptians gave Egypt, in Tachpanches and in Gosh-Israel their hire in those days, in en, and in all the cities which sur-order that they, the Egyptians their rounded Egypt, saying, fellow workmen, might also take the

17. You have seen what the child-pay for their labour. ren of Esau and Ishmael did to us, who came to war against us and wished to destroy us;

18. Now therefore the king commanded us to fortify the land, to build the cities Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle, if they should again come against us.

25. And at the end of a year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel, so that the children of Israel were left alone engaged in the work.

26, And after all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel they returned and became oppressors and officers over them, and some of them stood over the children of Israel as task masters, to receive from them all that they gave them

19. Whosoever of you from all Egypt and from the children of Israel will come to build with us, he shall have his daily wages given by the king, as his command is unto for the pay of their labour.

us.

27. And the Egyptians did in this 20. And when Egypt and all the manner to the children of Israel day children of Israel heard all that the by day, in order to afflict the Israelservants of Pharaoh had spoken, ites in their work.

there came from the Egyptians and 28. And all the children of Israel the children of Israel to build with were alone engaged in the labor, and the servants of Pharaoh, Pithom and the Egyptians refrained from giving Rameses, but none of the children any pay to the children of Israel of Levi came with their brethren to from that time forward.

build.

29. And when some of the men 21. And all the servants of Pha- of Israel refused to work on account raoh and his princes came at first of the wages not being given to them, with deceit to build with all Israel as then the exactors and the servants of daily hired laborers, and they gave Pharaoh oppressed them and smote to Israel their daily hire at the be- them with heavy blows, and made ginning. them return by force, to labor with 22. And the servants of Pharaoh their brethren; thus did all the

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Egyptians unto the children of Israel called Melol the king of Egypt all the days. "Meror, king of Egypt," because 30. And all the children of Israel in his days the Egyptians had emwere greatly afraid of the Egyptians bittered their lives with all manner in this matter, and all the children of work.

without pay.

of Israel returned and worked alone 38. And all the work wherein the Egyptians made the children of 31. And the children of Israel built Israel labor, they exacted with rigor, Pithom and Rameses, and all the in order to afflict the children of children of Israel did the work, some Israel, but the more they afflicted making bricks, and some building, them, the more they increased and and the children of Israel built and grew, and the Egyptians were grievfortified all the land of Egypt and ed because of the children of Israel. its walls, and the children of Israel were engaged in work for many years, until the time came when the Lord remembered them and brought them out of Egypt.

32. But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brethren of Israel, from the beginning unto the day of their going forth from Egypt.

CHAPTER LXVI.

1. At that time died Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, and Samlah from Mesrekah, from the country of the children of the east, reigned in his place.

2. In the thirteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, 33. For all the children of Levi which was the hundred and twenty knew that the Egyptians had spoken fifth year of the Israelites going all these words with deceit to the down into Egypt, Samlah had reignIsraelites, therefore the children of ed over Edom eighteen years. Levi refrained from approaching to 3. And when he reigned, he drew the work with their brethren. forth his hosts to go and fight against

34. And the Egyptians did not Zepho the son of Eliphaz and the direct their attention to make the children of Chittim, because they children of Levi work afterward, had made war against Angeas king since they had not been with their of Africa, and they destroyed his brethren at the beginning, therefore whole army. the Egyptians left them alone.

4. But he did not engage with him, 35. And the hands of the men of for the children of Esau prevented Egypt were directed with continued him, saying he was their brother, so severity against the children of Israel Samlah listened to the voice of the in that work, and the Egyptians children of Esau, and turned back made the children of Israel work with all his forces to the land of with rigor.

36. And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Israel with hard work, in mortar and bricks, and also in all manner of work in the field.

37. And the children of Israel

Edom, and did not proceed to fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz.

5. And Pharaoh king of Egypt heard this thing, saying, Samlah king of Edom has resolved to fight the children of Chittim, and after

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ward he will come to fight against | crease and grow in the land, and beEgypt. hold the whole country is filled with

6. And when the Egyptians heard them. this matter, they increased the labor 14. Now therefore our lord and upon the children of Israel, lest the king, the eyes of all Egypt are upIsraelites should do unto them as on thee to give them advice with thy they did unto them in their war with wisdom, by which they may prevail the children of Esau in the days of over Israel to destroy them, or to Hadad. diminish them from the land; and 7. So the Egyptians said unto the king answered them, saying, give the children of Israel, hasten and do you counsel in this mattter that we your work, and finish your task, and may know what to do unto them. strengthen the land, lest the children of Esau your brethren should come to fight against us, for on your account will they come against us.

8. And the children of Israel did the work of the men of Egypt day by day, and the Egyptians afflicted the children of Israel in order to lessen them in the land.

15. And an officer, one of the king's counsellors, whose name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the land of Uz, answered the king, saying,

16. If it please the king, let him hear the counsel of his servant; and the king said unto him, speak.

17. And Job spoke before the king, the princes, and before all the elders of Egypt, saying,

9. But as the Egyptians increased the labor upon the children of Israel, 18. Behold the counsel of the king so did the children of Israel increase which he advised formerly respectand multiply, and all Egypt was fill-ing the labor of the children of Ised with the children of Israel. rael is very good, and you must not

10. And in the hundred and twen-remove from them that labor forever.

ty fifth year of Israel's going down 19. But this is the advice couninto Egypt, all the Egyptians saw selled by which you may lessen that their counsel did not succeed them, if it seems good to the king to against Israel, but that they increas- afflict them. ed and grew, and the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen were filled with the children of Israel.

11. So all the elders of Egypt and its wise men came before the king and bowed down to him and sat before him.

20. Behold we have feared war for a long time, and we said, when Israel becomes fruitful in the land, they will drive us from the land if a war should take place.

21. If it please the king, let a royal decree go forth, and let it be 12. And all the elders of Egypt written in the laws of Egypt which and the wise men thereof said unto shall not be revoked, that every male the king, may the king live forever; child born to the Israelites, his thou didst counsel us the counsel blood shall be spilled upon the against the children of Israel, and ground.

we did unto them according to the 22. And by your doing this, when word of the king. all the male children of Israel

13. But in proportion to the in- shall have died, the evil of their crease of the labor so do they in-wars will cease; let the king do so

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and send for all the Hebrew mid- many days no Hebrew woman has wives and order them in this matter brought forth upon us, for all the to execute it; so the thing pleased Hebrew women are their own midthe king and the princes, and the wives, because they are hale. king did according to the word of 31. And Pharaoh heard their Job. words and believed them in this mat

23. And the king sent for the He- ter, and the midwives went away brew midwives to be called, of from the king, and God dealt well which the name of one was Sheph- with them, and the people multiplied rah, and the name of the other Puah. and waxed exceedingly.

24. And the midwives came before the king, and stood in his

sence.

pre

CHAPTER LXVII.

1. There was a man in the land of

25. And the king said unto them, when you do the office of a midwife Egypt of the seed of Levi, whose to the Hebrew women, and see them name was Amram, the son of Keupon the stools, if it be a son, then hath, the son of Levi, the son of Isyou shall kill him, but if it be a rael. daughter, then she shall live.

2. And this man went and took a 26. But if you will not do this wife, namely Jochebed the daughter thing, then will I burn you up and of Levi his father's sister, and she all your houses with fire. was one hundred and twenty six

27. But the midwives feared God years old, and he came unto her. and did not hearken to the king of 3. And the woman conceived and Egypt nor to his words, and when bare a daughter, and she called her the Hebrew women brought forth to name Miriam, because in those days the midwife son or daughter, then the Egyptians had embittered the did the midwife do all that was neces-lives of the children of Israel. sary to the child and let it live; thus 4. And she conceived again and did the midwives all the days. bare a son and she called his name Aaron, for in the days of her conception, Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male children of Israel.

28. And this thing was told to the king, and he sent and called for the midwives and he said to them, why have you done this thing and have saved the children alive?

29. And the midwives answered, and spoke together before the king, saying,

5. In those days died Zepho the son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, king of Chittim, and Janeas reigned in his stead.

6. And the time that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim was fifty years, and he died and was buried in the city of Nabna in the

30. Let not the king think that the Hebrew women are as the Egyptian women, for all the children of Israel are hale, and before the midwife land of Chittim. comes to them they are delivered, and as for us thy handmaids, for

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in same as in Exodus, ch. 1, v. 19,

where the English version is "for they are live ly." I prefer my translation.

7. And Janeas, one of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him and he reigned fifty years.

8. And it was after the death of

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11. And in the hundred and thirtieth year of Israel's going down to Egypt, Pharaoh dreamed that he was sitting upon his kingly throne, and lifted up his eyes and saw an old man standing before him, and there were scales in the hands of the old man, such scales as are used by merchants.

12. And the old man took the scales and hung them before Pharaoh.

13. And the old man took all the elders of Egypt and all its nobles and great men, and he tied them together and put them in one scale.

14. And he took a milk kid and put it into the other scale, and the kid preponderated over all.

answered the king and said unto him, this means nothing else but a great evil that will spring up against Egypt in the latter days.

19. For a son will be born to Israel who will destroy all Egypt and its inhabitants, and bring forth the Israelites from Egypt with a mighty hand.

20. Now therefore O king, take counsel upon this matter, that you may destroy the hope of the children of Israel and their expectation, before this evil arise against Egypt.

21. And the king said unto Balaam, and what shall we do unto Israel? surely after a certain manner did we at first counsel against them and could not prevail over them.

22. Now therefore give you also advice against them by which we may prevail over them.

23. And Balaam answered the king, saying, send now and call thy two counsellors, and we will see what their advice is upon this matter and afterward thy servant will speak.

24. And the king sent and called his two counsellors Reuel the Midianite and Job the Uzite, and they came and sat before the king.

25. And the king said to them, behold you have both heard the dream 15. And Pharaoh was astonished which I have dreamed, and the inat this dreadful vision, why the kid terpretation thereof; now therefore should preponderate over all, and give counsel and know and see what Pharaoh woke and behold it was a is to be done to the children of Isdream. rael, whereby we may prevail over them, before their evil shall spring up against us.

16. And Pharaoh rose up early in the morning and called all his servants and related to them the dream, and the men were greatly afraid.

17. And the king said to all his wise men, interpret I pray you the dream which I dreamed, that I may know it.

18. And Balaam the son of Beor

26. And Reuel the Midianite answered the king and said, may the king live, may the king live forever.

27. If it seem good to the king, let him desist from the Hebrews and leave them, and let him not stretch forth his hand against them.

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