Exodus 1:16
And he said, When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools; if it is a son, then you shall kill him: but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.
Additional Resources
Other Translations
Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts
"When you help the Hebrew women give birth and observe them on the birthing stools, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."
King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)
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.
American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers
and he said,{H559} When ye do the office of a midwife{H3205} to the Hebrew women,{H5680} and see{H7200} them upon the birth-stool;{H70} if it be a son,{H1121} then ye shall kill{H4191} him; but if it be a daughter,{H1323} then she shall live.{H2425}
King James Version with Strong's Numbers
And he said{H559}{(H8799)}, When ye do the office of a midwife{H3205}{(H8763)} to the Hebrew women{H5680}, and see{H7200}{(H8804)} them upon the stools{H70}; if it be a son{H1121}, then ye shall kill{H4191}{(H8689)} him: but if it be a daughter{H1323}, then she shall live{H2425}{(H8804)}.
Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)
whe ye mydwiue the women of the Ebrues and se in the byrth tyme that it is a boye, kyll it. But yf it be a mayde, let it lyue.
Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan ye helpe the wemen of the Hebrues, and se vpon the stole, that it is a sonne, then slaye him: but yf it be a doughter, let her lyue.
Geneva Bible (1560)
And sayde, When ye doe the office of a midwife to the women of the Ebrewes, and see them on their stooles, if it be a sonne, then yee shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then let her liue.
Bishops' Bible (1568)
When ye do the office of a mydwyfe to the women of the Hebrues, and see in the birth tyme that it is a boy, ye shall kyl it: but if it be a daughter, it shal liue.
Authorized King James Version (1611)
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.
Webster's Bible (1833)
and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)
and saith, `When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it `is' a son -- then ye have put him to death; and if it `is' a daughter -- then she hath lived.'
American Standard Version (1901)
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.
American Standard Version (1901)
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.
Bible in Basic English (1941)
When you are looking after the Hebrew women in childbirth, if it is a son you are to put him to death; but if it is a daughter, she may go on living.
World English Bible (2000)
and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
NET Bible® (New English Translation)
“When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.”
Referenced Verses
- Exod 1:22 : 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.
- Matt 21:38 : 38 But when the vine dressers saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.
- Rev 12:4 : 4 His tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Exod 1:17-226 verses86%
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and have saved the male children alive?
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and give birth before the midwives come to them.
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.
- 84%
15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
- Num 31:17-182 verses74%
17 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
18 But all the young women who have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
- Exod 2:5-95 verses74%
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. She had compassion on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call a nurse from the Hebrew women for you, so she may nurse the child for you?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. So the girl went and called the child's mother.
9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him.
- 74%
2 And the woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
- 1 Kgs 3:25-273 verses74%
25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then the woman whose the living child was, spoke to the king, for her heart yearned for her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and do not kill it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor yours, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and do not kill it: she is the mother thereof.
- 72%
15 And Moses said to them, Have you kept all the women alive?
- 72%
15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
- 71%
21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and brought him up as her own son.
- 71%
23 And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me, and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.
- 71%
19 This king dealt shrewdly with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, forcing them to expose their infants so that they might not live.
- 2 Sam 14:6-72 verses71%
6 And your maidservant had two sons, and the two fought together in the field, and there was none to separate them, but one struck the other, and killed him.
7 And, behold, the whole family has risen against your maidservant, and they said, Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall extinguish my last remaining ember, and shall not leave to my husband either name or remnant on the earth.
- 71%
5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
- Exod 2:15-162 verses71%
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
- 70%
3 For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and concerning their fathers who begot them in this land:
- 1 Kgs 3:19-213 verses70%
19 And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay on it.
20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I had borne.
- 70%
16 For the king will hear, to deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
- 69%
16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
- 69%
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said to her, Fear not; for you have borne a son. But she did not answer, nor did she regard it.
- 69%
1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
- 69%
29 And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.