Exodus 1:16 - Revised Standard Version (RSV-CI)

¹⁶ “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹⁶ and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹⁶ When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.

American Standard Version (1901)

¹⁶ and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

Common English Bible

¹⁶ “When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth and you see the baby being born, if it’s a boy, kill him. But if it’s a girl, you can let her live.”

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹⁶ instructing them: "When you will act as a midwife to the Hebrew women, and the time of delivery has arrived: if it is male, put it to death; if it is female, retain it."

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

¹⁶ 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.

Exodus 1:16 Cross References

Psalm 105:25

He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.

Exodus 1:15

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,

Exodus 1:22

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

Matthew 21:38

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’

Acts 7:19

He dealt craftily with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, that they might not be kept alive.

Hebrews 11:23

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

Revelation 12:4

His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth;