Section Four

Shiphrah and Puah

At the start of the book of Exodus (Chapter 1), the story is told about how the Israelites became slaves in Egypt. It is said that Joseph and his brothers lived in Egypt, and their descendants increased in number rapidly. The rulers in Egypt become afraid of the Israelites because of their large number. As a result, they decide to make the Israelites into slaves. This, however, does not stop the rapid growth. The Israelites are forced into slave labour - building and working in the fields. The Egyptian rulers were afraid and took drastic measures. Firstly, they instruct two midwives names Shiphrah and Puah to kill any Israelite baby boy as soon as they are born. They do not follow the order and so are brought to see Pharoah. When Pharoah asks them why they have not killed the baby boys, they reply that the women were giving birth before they could get there and therefore did not have the chance to kill the babies at birth. It is noted that because Shiphrah and Puah feared God they were able to have families themselves. The chapter concludes with Pharoah giving the instruction to everyone that they should throw any Israelite baby boy into the river Nile - setting the scene for the story of Moses.