Exodus 1:17
New International Version
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

New Living Translation
But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

English Standard Version
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.

Berean Standard Bible
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

King James Bible
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

New King James Version
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

New American Standard Bible
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.

NASB 1995
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.

NASB 1977
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.

Legacy Standard Bible
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but let the boys live.

Amplified Bible
But the midwives feared God [with profound reverence] and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded, but they let the boy babies live.

Christian Standard Bible
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

American Standard Version
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the midwives feared God and did not do as the King of Egypt told them, and they were saving the boys.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive.

Contemporary English Version
But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to.

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

English Revised Version
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
However, the midwives feared God and didn't obey the king of Egypt's orders. They let the boys live.

Good News Translation
But the midwives were God-fearing and so did not obey the king; instead, they let the boys live.

International Standard Version
But the midwives feared God and didn't do what the king of Egypt told them. Instead, they let the boys live.

JPS Tanakh 1917
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.

Literal Standard Version
And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt has spoken to them, and they keep the boys alive;

Majority Standard Bible
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.

New American Bible
The midwives, however, feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt had ordered them, but let the boys live.

NET Bible
But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

New Revised Standard Version
But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.

New Heart English Bible
But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

Webster's Bible Translation
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male-children alive.

World English Bible
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.

Young's Literal Translation
And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Oppression by a New King
16“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”…

Cross References
Acts 4:18
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men.

Exodus 1:18
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"

Exodus 1:21
And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.

1 Samuel 22:17
Then the king ordered the guards at his side, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me." But the king's servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

Proverbs 16:6
By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.


Treasury of Scripture

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

feared God.

Genesis 20:11
And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

Genesis 42:18
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

Nehemiah 5:15
But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

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Alive Baby Boys Children Commanded Egypt Fear Feared However Live Male Male-Children Men-Children Midwives Saved Women
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Alive Baby Boys Children Commanded Egypt Fear Feared However Live Male Male-Children Men-Children Midwives Saved Women
Exodus 1
1. The children of Israel, after Joseph's death, increase.
8. The more they are oppressed by a new king, the more they multiply.
15. The godliness of the midwives in saving the male children alive.
22. Pharaoh commands the male children to be cast into the river














(17) The midwives feared God.--The midwives, whether Hebrews or Egyptians, believed in a God who would punish wrong-doing, and therefore resolved not to obey the Pharaoh.

Verse 17. - The midwives feared God. The midwives had a sense of religion, feared God sufficiently to decline imbruing their hands in the innocent blood of a number of defenceless infants, and, rather than do so wicked a thing, risked being punished by the monarch. They were not, as appears by ver. 19, highly religious - not of the stuff whereof martyrs are made; they did not scruple at a falsehood, believing it necessary to save their lives; and it would seem that they succeeded in deceiving the king.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The midwives, however,
הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ (ham·yal·lə·ḏōṯ)
Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

feared
וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ (wat·tî·re·nā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

God
הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

and did not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

do
עָשׂ֔וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Egypt
מִצְרָ֑יִם (miṣ·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

had told
דִּבֶּ֥ר (dib·ber)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

them;
אֲלֵיהֶ֖ן (’ă·lê·hen)
Preposition | third person feminine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

they let the boys
הַיְלָדִֽים׃ (hay·lā·ḏîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3206: Something born, a lad, offspring

live.
וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ (wat·tə·ḥay·ye·nā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive


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OT Law: Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God and didn't (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 1:16
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